A Racine man was charged with attempted homicide after he tried to run over a Racine Police officer in December.
Hunter Hanson, 20, was charged by the Racine County District Attorney’s Office with attempted first-degree intentional homicide, possession of a firearm as a convicted felon, two counts of disorderly conduct, and fleeing/eluding a police officer. All of those charges included a repeater enhancer. If convicted, Hanson faces up to 93 years in prison and fines up to $37,000.
According to the criminal complaint, in December — about one to two weeks before Dec. 20 — Hanson told his probation agent that he knew there was an active warrant for his arrest. He also said he wasn’t going to “go back to jail alive and he would have a shootout with police.”
At about 3:30 p.m. Dec. 20, Hanson showed up twice to O’Reilly Auto Parts, 3022 Douglas Avenue trying to return stolen vehicle parts. After the clerk refused to accept the second return, Hanson told the clerk “you can take your job seriously but you have to leave at night. I’m already facing 15 years for a firearm charge.”
Two hours later, Hanson stopped at the O’Reilly Auto Parts store at 4004 Durand Avenue at 5:30 p.m. trying to do the same thing. When the clerk told Hanson he could not accept the return, he started cursing and shouting. He then pulled out a black AR-15 style magazine.
Slamming the loaded magazine on the counter, Hanson continued to shout at the woman. He then pulled out an unfired cartridge casing and put it on the counter. Threatening another employee, Hanson told the woman he would be coming for the man and slammed the cartridge on the counter.
“I don’t care if the cops kill me or a (racial epithet) kills me,” he screamed. Hanson then left the store.
An officer familiar with Hanson’s conversation with the probation agent and the incidents at O’Reilly’s went to the area where Hanson lived. Seeing him in a truck, the officer got out of his police squad and ordered him to show him his hands. Hunter then jumped into a truck and “gunned” the truck, according to the criminal complaint.
Hanson drove straight towards the police officer, who drew his weapon and fired shots at him. The officer feared for his life because Hanson drove about two feet away from him.
“Hanson made no attempts or maneuvers that made (the officer) think he was not going to run over and kill him,” the complaint reads.
Another officer followed Hanson, who was driving at a high rate of speed on Taylor Avenue.
“There were three vehicles in disarray in the middle of the intersection and appeared stunned that the truck drove through the red light at a high rate of speed,” according to the complaint.
Hanson then fled in his car through Pierce Grove Park, failed to stop at a stop sign and “bounced through the wooded park” in a wooded area.
That night, officers lost Hanson. But they later took Hanson into custody on Friday.
Racine County Court Commissioner Alice Rudebusch set a cash bond of $100,000 on Friday and set a preliminary hearing for 8:30 a.m. Feb. 21.