WISCONSIN DEPUTY HIT; YOUTH HELD AFTER CAR CHASE

A Dane County sheriff's deputy suffered severe injuries Friday afternoon when a driver being chased by police swerved and struck him on Highway 151 in the Town of Blooming Grove, authorities reported. The deputy was flown by a medical helicopter to the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison. His injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.

The Sheriff's Department said the deputy's condition was serious but stable Saturday night. According to the Sheriff's Department account, Madison police pursued the driver for driving erratically on Highway 51 near Schneider Drive. Deputies joined the pursuit on Sprecher Road and continued onto Highway 151.

A deputy attempted to place spikes on the road to stop the fleeing vehicle and was struck about 2:10 p.m.

The chase ended about 3:30 p.m. near Johnson Creek in Jefferson County, where the driver was taken into custody. Late Friday, Dane County sheriff's Lt. Brian Hayes said the driver is a juvenile male who was driving a stolen car.

According to the Sheriff's Department, the suspect was being held in the Dane County Juvenile Reception Center on tentative charges of eluding an officer and operating a motor vehicle without the owner's consent.