Two Milwaukee men were arrested after police said employees at two chicken restaurants on Capitol Drive were carjacked at gunpoint on back-to-back nights, according to a WISN 12 News report by Nick Bohr.
Bohr reported that the first carjacking happened just after 2 a.m. on April 26 at the Raising Cane’s on Capitol Drive in Brookfield. An employee there told police that two men stole his car at gunpoint.
The next night, Bohr said, a second employee was carjacked at gunpoint while leaving work at Crazy Chicken, located farther down Capitol Drive near 78th Street in Milwaukee.
The pattern was hard to miss. Two chicken restaurants, two employees, two armed carjackings, two nights in a row, and both on the same major road.
Bohr said the suspects “really” drew attention to themselves by allegedly robbing two similar restaurants on Capitol Drive on successive nights. Police in Brookfield and Milwaukee noticed, and the investigation quickly turned to a newer tool: drones.
It is one of those cases where the alleged plan seems almost unbelievably careless. Even without the technology, striking such similar targets so close together would likely raise suspicion. With drones in the mix, the margin for getting away became much smaller.
Police See A Possible Connection
According to Bohr’s report, investigators began connecting the incidents after the car stolen from the Crazy Chicken employee was found near 70th Street and Hope Avenue.
That location mattered because it was only about a block from where the vehicle stolen from the Raising Cane’s employee had been abandoned the day before.
Once police saw that the two stolen cars had ended up so close to each other, Bohr said, they believed the robberies might be related.
Brookfield police then launched a drone over the area where the second stolen car was parked and waited for someone to return.
That decision appears to have been the turning point. Instead of rushing in blindly or relying only on patrol units, police used the drone to monitor the vehicle from above and watch for movement.
Eventually, Bohr reported, officers tracked and arrested 21-year-old Adrian Thomas and 17-year-old Quntae Russell after they returned to the car and got inside.
Police said Russell was armed with a handgun when he was arrested, according to a Brookfield police search warrant cited in Bohr’s report.
A Strange Explanation In The Warrant
One of the most striking details in the report came from what Russell allegedly told police.
According to the Brookfield police search warrant cited by Bohr, Russell explained that he carjacked the Raising Cane’s employee because he had walked to the restaurant and the buses were no longer running.
Bohr said Russell told police that “he didn’t want to walk back home.”
That alleged explanation is almost stunning in how casual it sounds next to the seriousness of the accusation. If the statement is accurate, it describes an armed carjacking as if it were a bad transportation choice rather than a violent crime.
There is a huge gap between being stranded late at night and allegedly pointing a gun at a worker to steal a car.
That is what makes the detail so disturbing. A fast-food employee finishing a shift after 2 a.m. should not have to become someone’s way home.
Bohr reported that the two suspects are now facing armed robbery charges in Milwaukee County. He also noted that despite Russell’s alleged confession detailed in the Milwaukee County complaint, the pair had not yet been charged in Waukesha County for the Brookfield robbery at the time of the report.
Drone Technology Leads Police To The Suspects
Bohr’s WISN report also focused on how police used drone technology to make the arrests.
After the second stolen car was found, Brookfield police launched a drone to watch the area. The drone allowed police to monitor the vehicle until Thomas and Russell allegedly returned.
That is a major change from how many cases like this might have been handled in the past. Instead of officers sitting directly nearby and risking being spotted, a drone can quietly track movement from above.
Bohr said drones are becoming more common in law enforcement, including within the Milwaukee Police Department.
WISN showed Milwaukee police drone flight paths from just a three-hour window earlier in the month, with drones responding to calls involving drunk drivers, traffic hazards, ShotSpotter shooting reports, and other incidents.
Bohr said he wanted to get more insight from Brookfield police about their drone program and how it was used in this case, but the department had not yet responded by the time of the report.
Even without that response, the case gives a clear example of why departments are turning to the technology. When a stolen car is parked and suspects may return, a drone can give officers eyes on the scene without immediately escalating the encounter.
That does not mean every drone use is simple or without debate. People still have fair questions about privacy, police surveillance, and how often these tools should be used. But in this case, as described by Bohr, the technology helped police watch a stolen vehicle and move in when the suspects allegedly came back.
Employees Targeted After Work
The most important part of the story is not just the drone or the unusual chicken-restaurant pattern. It is that both victims were workers.
Bohr reported that the first victim was an employee at Raising Cane’s, and the second was an employee at Crazy Chicken who was leaving work when she was carjacked.
That detail makes the case feel especially cruel. These were not random luxury targets or people flaunting wealth. They were employees at fast-food restaurants, working late and trying to get home.
Late-night restaurant workers already deal with long hours, tired customers, closing duties, and sometimes unsafe parking lots. The idea that someone could be carjacked at gunpoint after a shift adds a much darker layer to that routine.
It also shows why police noticed the pattern so quickly. Two employees at two chicken restaurants on the same road, both targeted in the same short window, was not likely to be treated as a coincidence.
Bohr said police in both Brookfield and Milwaukee “certainly noticed,” and the suspects’ alleged choice to hit similar businesses on consecutive nights may have helped investigators connect the dots faster.
Charges In Milwaukee County
According to Bohr, Thomas and Russell were facing armed robbery charges in Milwaukee County at the time of the report.
Russell was 17, while Thomas was 21, Bohr reported. Police said Russell had a handgun when the arrests were made.
The Brookfield case, tied to the Raising Cane’s robbery, still had not resulted in Waukesha County charges by the time WISN aired the report, even though the complaint described Russell’s alleged confession.
That means the legal picture could still grow more serious depending on what prosecutors decide in each county.
For now, the WISN report lays out a troubling sequence: an employee carjacked at gunpoint after work in Brookfield, another employee carjacked the next night in Milwaukee, two stolen cars found near each other, and police using a drone to wait for the suspects to return.
The story is unusual because of the restaurant connection and the alleged explanation about missing the bus. But beneath those strange details is a much more basic truth.
Two people were allegedly threatened with a gun while simply trying to get through their work night and go home.
That is what makes the case more than a high-tech police story. It is also a reminder that for late-shift workers, the walk to the parking lot can become dangerous in seconds.
Ed spent his childhood in the backwoods of Maine, where harsh winters taught him the value of survival skills. With a background in bushcraft and off-grid living, Ed has honed his expertise in fire-making, hunting, and wild foraging. He writes from personal experience, sharing practical tips and hands-on techniques to thrive in any outdoor environment. Whether it’s primitive camping or full-scale survival, Ed’s advice is grounded in real-life challenges.
