BROWNTOWN — State and local authorities continue to investigate a tense Saturday incident in which a traffic stop in Dubuque led to a 3-county high-speed chase, at least one shot fired by law enforcement; and the death of the suspect in Green County.

The suspect, who apparently died by his own hand, has yet to be identified.

Indeed, the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is leading the investigation, assisted by the Wisconsin State Patrol, Wisconsin State Crime Lab and the Belleville Police Department.  

The ordeal reportedly began at about 1:50 p.m. at store parking lot on Dubuque’s John F. Kennedy Road, according to city police there. That’s where a 22-year-old Dubuque resident arranged to meet a person with whom he had been communicating online to arrange the test drive of a vehicle for sale, police said.

“The victim and the suspect test drove the victim’s 2015 BMW M4 and returned to the AutoZone area,” the release, quoted in the Dubuque Telegraph Herald, said. “The suspect then displayed a handgun, took the victim’s phone and fled the area alone in the victim’s vehicle.”

The vehicle then crossed the bridge over the Mississippi River into Wisconsin, where authorities eventually located the suspect and joined the chase. In Lafayette County, a deputy on scene deployed stop spikes at about 2:35 p.m. — an effort to disable the fleeing vehicle’s tires, according to law enforcement news releases. At that point the vehicle drove in the direction of a Lafayette County Deputy, who shot at it in an effort to stop the suspect.

The vehicle eventually made it into Green County, where at some point the driver apparently fled on foot, according to the DOJ, along with Green and Lafayette County Sheriff’s departments. As law enforcement searched for the subject, authorities heard a gunshot and the person was found dead near Wis. 11, west of County M. A gun also was reportedly found at the scene.

No law enforcement personnel were injured in the ordeal, police said. “The involved deputy from the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office has been placed on administrative leave, per department policy,” authorities said. 

Green County Sheriff Jeff Skatrud on Monday detailed his department’s involvement in the weekend ordeal, saying they initially helped establish a perimeter and detours for the weekend traffic. Traffic also was heavy on nearby ATV trails, officials said.

“All of our on-duty personnel were involved and off-duty also were called in, both to assist with the search for an individual that was suspected to be armed and to fill out patrol responsibilities for the rest of the county,” said Skatrud. “Two out of our three detectives were called in and our patrol Lieutenant, Chief Deputy and myself responded on the administrative side.”

The department also used its mobile command during the incident and Green County EMS and coroner also responded, he said.

With the vehicle in the ditch and authorities searching for the suspect, roadways surrounding the Browntown area were shut down, with traffic detoured around the countryside.

According to the state authorities, DCI is “continuing to review evidence and determine the facts of this incident and will turn over investigative reports to the Lafayette County District Attorney when the investigation concludes.”