Deadly Rollover Accident On I-94 Ramp
HARRISON TWP. (WWJ) - A 21-year-old man was killed Friday morning as he was riding in an SUV that rolled over on an I-94 ramp following a brief police pursuit.
Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham said it was around 3 a.m. when their office received a call from a teenage driver's concerned father. "He indicated that his son was out and about in Harrison Township driving his vehicle without a license," said Wickersham.
A deputy who was on patrol in a neighboring subdivision spotted the SUV driving without any headlights on and followed the vehicle to 16 Mile Road, at which time he tried to make a traffic stop.
"As soon as he turned on his emergency lights, the vehicle quickly accelerated down 16 Mile and attempted to get onto I-94, at which point he rolled the vehicle several times," said Wickersham.
Wickersham said the passenger, Donald Larrel Smelser-Emerson of Harrison Township, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver, an 18-year-old Clinton Township man, was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries and is under police guard.
Detectives will complete their investigation and turn over their findings to the prosecutor's office who will determine if charges will be sought.
"Alcohol doesn't appear to be a factor, narcotics maybe, but we won't know until we get the test results back from the lab," said Wickersham.
No other injuries were reported.
The driver's name was not immediately released.
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