CITY of MONONA, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is investigating an officer involved critical incident in the City of Monona, Wis. that occurred on the evening of Monday, January 1, 2024.

At approximately 9:01 p.m., Monona Police Department officers initiated a traffic stop for a suspicious vehicle at Nichols and Monona Drive and the vehicle fled. A Dane County deputy deployed a tire deflation device and the vehicle crashed near the intersection of Femrite Drive and Buckeye Road in the Town of Cottage Grove. The three occupants of the fleeing vehicle did not survive the crash and died on scene.

Involved law enforcement were not injured.

Monona Police Department and Dane County Sheriff’s Office squad cars are equipped with dashboard cameras.

The involved officers have been placed on administrative duty, per agency policy.

DCI is leading the investigation of the officer involved critical incident with assistance from the Wisconsin State Patrol, a DCI Crime Response Specialist, and members of DCI’s Digital Evidence Unit. All involved law enforcement are fully cooperating with DCI during this investigation.

DCI is continuing to review evidence and determine the facts of this incident and will turn over investigative reports to the Dane County District Attorney when the investigation concludes.

The investigation is ongoing and no further information is currently available.

Please direct media inquiries to Wisconsin DOJ.