Detroit teen to face charges in fatal crash that killed Sterling Heights mother
STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Charges are expected to be filed against a 16-year-old from Detroit who police say caused a fatal crash in Sterling Heights that killed a 31-year-old woman and seriously injured her 34-year-old husband and 2-year-old son.
"It's a horribly tragic event," said Lt. Mario Bastianelli.
Sterling Heights police say the crash happened in the area of Van Dyke and Metropolitan Parkway around 9:30 p.m. Saturday.
Police say officers were trying to make a traffic stop before the teen led police on a chase in an attempt to get away.
Bastianelli says the boy might be driving under the influence before officers ran the plates and found that the car, a tan Chevrolet Equinox, didn't have car insurance.
Police say the teenager later ran a red light during the chase and crashed into the family.
"So many people in the community are affected by this tragic loss at the decision of a 16-year-old who decided to flee from police. Ultimately, the pursuit was 36 seconds long when officers attempted to stop the individual to when he actually struck the innocent bystanders. How quickly a horrible decision can go into something so tragic."
Police say the 16-year-old boy was taken into custody and will soon face felony charges.
"Right now, he is being held at the Macomb County youth home, being charged either as an adult or a juvenile. That is at the discretion of the prosecutor," he said.
In light of this tragedy, Bastianelli has a message for anyone considering fleeing a traffic stop.
"There are officers everywhere. At the end of the day, we are going to capture you, and we're going to get you into custody. So, fleeing is never going to make the situation better. Just pull over, deal with the incident at hand, and everything will work itself out. It's not worth putting everybody's lives at risk. You put innocent people at risk. You put our officers at risk of getting hit and killed as well as yourself when you're driving behind the vehicle," he said.
As for the 16-year-old, it's unclear what charges he'll be facing.
The Macomb County Prosecutor's office says a warrant has yet to be submitted, but it could happen sometime soon.