WARREN, Mich. – Residents of Warren are demanding changes after a police chase killed a 71-year-old woman.
It’s not the first time a police chase in Warren ended in a crash. In March, a police chase ended when a car drove into a home, and in February, another chase caused two separate crashes, hospitalizing a 12-year-old girl.
A lawsuit was filed in October after a speeding police cruiser killed two people.
Police said they saw a black Chrysler 300 driving recklessly on Van Dyke Avenue at about 9:30 p.m. Saturday, May 24. An attempted traffic stop turned into a chase, during which multiple vehicles were hit.
The Chrysler reportedly hit another vehicle driven by a 71-year-old woman near Nine Mile Road.
She was rushed to a hospital, where she died from her injuries.
A second vehicle that was struck at the intersection did not result in major injuries.
The driver of the Chrysler reportedly attempted to run on foot, but was taken into custody by police.
“To a certain degree they should call it off. You know, when they’re getting into these high-speed chases, the guys that are getting chased start panicking, and that’s when things happen. That’s when things go down. And it’s just not right,” said Victor Baez, who witnessed the aftermath of Friday’s crash. “We could have had a family of kids on this block when that went down. I’m just saying, slow down a little bit, let the cops pull back. I don’t think it’s worth a life, I’ll be honest with you,”
Police are still working to figure out why the driver fled from the traffic stop to begin with. The investigation is ongoing.
