A drunken driver with illegal drugs in his car led Wyandotte police on a high-speed chase through several cities before striking a Wyandotte police vehicle in the city of Dearborn.
By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
WYANDOTTE – A drunken driver with illegal drugs in his car led police officers on a high-speed chase through multiple cities June 2 before being apprehended after crashing into a police vehicle.
The 55-year-old Wyandotte man drove a 2005 red Kia through Wyandotte, Lincoln Park, Detroit and Melvindale before crashing head-on into a pursuing Wyandotte police vehicle on a dead end street in Dearborn, after attempting a U-turn to continue his escape.
Wyandotte Deputy Police Chief Archie Hamilton said all of the involved police agencies did an outstanding job reducing the risk to the public during the multi-city pursuit.
“As a result, a person who posed a significant risk to the public was removed from our roads before causing an injury accident,” Hamilton said. “This illustrates the critical work our enforcement officers do despite subjecting themselves to personal harm.”
The man was charged with felony fleeing and eluding, felonious assault on a police officer, obstructing police, possession of cocaine, driving with a suspended license and driving with an improper license plate.
The man, who was first spotted as a possible drunken driver on Oak Street, near Fort Street, in Wyandotte, began to flee at unsafe speeds, running stops signs in a residential neighborhood, and later running red lights while he continued to flee on secondary and main roads, which included Fort Street, Southfield Road, Outer Drive and Schaefer Road.
The man was traveling up to 80 mph, driving side-to-side across all lanes, ignoring police car lights, sirens and amplified voice announcements. At Schaefer and Rotunda in Dearborn, the man reached 100 mph in a construction zone, where only one lane of travel was available.
The chase ended on Osborne Street in Dearborn, which dead-ends east of Lois Street. The man attempted a U-turn, jumped a curb, drove on the grass and struck on no-parking sign. He then completed the U-turn and drove head-on into a Wyandotte police vehicle.
After the crash, the man refused to exit the vehicle, and three police officers worked in tandem to remove him from the vehicle while he attempted to clench the steering wheel.
The man, who was laid on the nearby grass, attempted to place his hands under his body to avoid being handcuffed, ignoring verbal commands. He was electronically subdued to allow police officers to secure him in handcuffs.
A search of his vehicle produced a cellophane package, which tested positive for cocaine, and another which tested positive for marijuana.
The man’s driver’s license had been invalid since 1991, and had been subject to multiple revocations and suspensions.
The vehicle had an improper in-transit repair license plate, and was uninsured. It was impounded and towed.
The man was subsequently taken to the Wyandotte police station, where he was booked, searched, fingerprinted and held.