DETROIT – A 16-year-old Oakland County boy has been charged with reckless driving after he crashed into a tree over the weekend while fleeing police, killing an 11-year-old and injuring two teenagers, officials said.
The boy, a Pontiac resident, was driving just after midnight Friday into Saturday in the area of Russel Street and Warren Avenue in Detroit, according to authorities. He had three passengers in his vehicle: Xavier Mena, 11, of Pontiac, a 16-year-old Pontiac girl, and a 17-year-old Pontiac boy.
Detroit police said they tried to stop the vehicle, but the driver took off at a high speed and crashed into a tree in the 2660 block of East Canfield Street.
Mena was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. The two teenage passengers were taken to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, they said.
The 16-year-old driver has been charged with one count of reckless driving causing death, two counts of reckless driving causing serious injury, one count of fourth-degree fleeing and eluding, and one count of operating without a license.
A preliminary hearing was held Monday (May 16) in the Lincoln Hall of Justice. The boy was given a $3,000 bond, cash/surety.
A control date is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. June 21 in front of Judge Karen Braxton.
