Man Leaves Party, Drives Backwards Into Trouble, Police Say

Party-goers running from a party broken up by police is nothing new, but a 20-year-old Racine man is facing reckless endangerment charges for trying to drive away in reverse.

According to a written statement from the Mount Pleasant Police Department, officers were dispatched at 10:55 p.m. Sunday to the Knight's Inn, 1149 Oakes Road, for calls of a party in room 331.

When police arrived, people were running from the scene and getting into cars. One vehicle driven by Antonio Williams, officers say, was in reverse and moving fast.

Despite a uniformed officer telling Williams to stop, police say he didn't. Instead, he continued to drive backwards, going over a snowbank, jumping a grassy area and ending up back in the parking lot. Williams made a sudden swerve, forcing an officer to jump out of the way to avoid being hit.

He finally stopped when he hit a bigger, icier snow bank that bent the rim of his wheel and blew a hole in his tire.

Police say Williams admitted to smoking marijuana just before police arrived to break up the party.

He was taken into custody and transported to the Racine County Jail. MPPD is recommending that Williams be charged with three counts of recklessly endangering safety and one count of operating under the influence of a drug/restricted substance.