DETROIT – A man trying to flee Michigan State Police got on the Lodge Freeway going the wrong way and collided with a vehicle, killing 2 people and injuring himself and his passenger.
Michigan State Police said troopers were on patrol at 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 6, 2024, when they found a stolen 2006 Ford Super Duty pickup truck in the back of a gas station on 8 Mile Road.
The driver of the truck backed up, nearly striking the patrol car. The driver then exited the parking lot onto 8 Mile Road near the Southfield Freeway.
Michigan State Police attempted to stop the driver, but he fled the scene. Police pursued him north onto the Lodge Freeway. The driver exited on northbound Telegraph Road and shut his headlights off.
Police said the driver then made a U-turn and drove southbound on Telegraph Road. The vehicle then re-entered the northbound lanes of the Lodge Freeway driving southbound with his headlights still off.
The driver struck a 2011 GMC Terrain that was driving northbound on the Lodge Freeway near Civic Center Drive. The driver and passenger of the GMC Terrain, a 45-year-old man and a 43-year-old woman from Farmington Hills, were pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the suspect vehicle has been identified as a 35-year-old man from Romulus. His passenger has been identified as a 29-year-old woman from Detroit. They are both listed as in serious condition at an area hospital, but are expected to survive.
The crash is still under investigation.