Milwaukee woman detained after allegedly finding her stolen car and trying to take it home

Click here for updates on this story

    MADISON, Wis. (WDJT) — Phillis Coleman is still processing the various commands given to her by Capitol police officers on July 10.

She said she was stopped while just trying to get back what was hers.

“And another squad car said open your passenger door and I yelled at them there’s no one in here. It’s just me,” Coleman, who lives in Milwaukee, said.

Cellphone video from onlookers shows several responding squads.

She’d reported her car stolen to the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) on July 5.

By July 9, she hadn’t heard back from MPD and found out, from others, that her car was in Madison. So she traveled there.

The next day Coleman said she called and updated MPD, and someone told her to take her car and expect a call.

While driving, she was pulled over by Capitol police.

“I said I don’t understand what’s going on. This is my vehicle; I’m the registered owner of this vehicle,” the mother of five said.

But Capitol police told CBS 58 the vehicle was still reported stolen by the Milwaukee Police Department and was in the Wisconsin Crime Information Bureau system with a stolen status.

Coleman was handcuffed and put into a squad car, where she claimed she saw her information pulled up on police computer screens.

She was later released.

She said she understands why she was stopped, but feels the tense events afterward were unnecessary and made her afraid she wouldn’t return home.

“Once the person gets out the car with their hands up, and you see my face. You clearly see who I am. And it’s the same face all of you all got on [your] screens, what was the point of everything else?”

Milwaukee police say that a car isn’t removed from the crime database, until an officer physically sees the car and confirms it has been rightfully returned.

Coleman said she plans to file complaints against the Capitol officers and intends to press charges against the car thief, who is an acquaintance.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.