Mother Pushing Wheelchair-Bound Child Fatally Struck By Hit-And-Run Driver; 22-Year-Old Under Arrest
STERLING HEIGHTS (WWJ) - Police say a 47-year-old woman was killed when she was fatally struck by a hit-and-run driver while crossing the street with her special needs child.
The incident happened around 9:30 p.m. Monday along Ryan Road just north of 14 Mile Road in Sterling Heights.
According to police, the woman was pushing her wheelchair-bound 15-year-old son across Ryan Road when both were struck by a vehicle.
The mother was killed. The child was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries and is expected to survive.
Witnesses told police they spotted a red Cadillac CTS with tinted windows fleeing the scene to the west, despite sustaining significant front-end damage. The vehicle was later located in abandoned Highland Park.
The suspect, a 22-year-old man, was eventually taken into custody in Sterling Heights. Lt. Dave Smith said the suspect, who was driving with a suspended license, had a certain notoriety in the area.
"We had some witnesses on the scene that were familiar with the vehicle and familiar with the people who drive the vehicle on a regular basis, and that helped us to identify the suspect and identify the vehicle involved," Smith told WWJ's Ron Dewey.
Police say drugs might have been a factor in the accident, which remains under investigation.
"[The suspect] is being held on charges, OWI causing death, leaving the scene of a fatal accident and driving on suspended license causing death," said Smith. "We have enough evidence to believe that he was the one involved in this and we're going to prosecute this case successfully."
Anyone with information on the case is urged to contact police at 586-446-2800.
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