KENTWOOD, Mich. – Police video released shows an unmarked Michigan State Police SUV hit a man running from police in West Michigan last month.
Samuel Sterling, 25, died from his injuries.
Sterling’s family has hired attorney Ven Johnson and plans to sue.
Sterling’s parents were shown the video Friday (May 10) morning before it was released to the public.
“They pinned my baby down even after he was hit with a car,” Sterling’s mom, Andrica Cage, said. “His whole knee was on my baby. He was just lying there in pain, asking for help.”
Police said Sterling was being pursued on felony warrants.
Once on the ground, officers handcuffed Sterling and waited for the ambulance.
“You wouldn’t hit a dog like that, and to watch that is just so hurtful,” Sterling’s dad, Michael Sterling, said. “My son didn’t deserve that. Nobody deserves to get ran down like that.”
The MSP trooper behind the wheel has been placed on unpaid suspension.
The investigation has been handed over to the Michigan Attorney General’s Office to decide on charges.