2 dead, Warren police officers critically injured in early morning crash
WARREN, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Two people are dead and two Warren police officers were injured after a crash early Monday morning.
The crash happened around 5 a.m. Monday near Schoenherr Road and Prospect Avenue, when a white Dodge Durango and a Warren police cruiser were involved in a crash. Officials said the officers were traveling southbound on Schoenherr.
One of the officers involved in the crash had to be removed from the cruiser by the fire department.
The two occupants of the Durango were pronounced deceased at the scene. Police identified the occupants as 34-year-old Cedric Hayden and 33-year-old DeJuan Pettis.
Both officers remain hospitalized in stable condition. One of the officers underwent extensive surgery on Monday.
Warren Police Lt. John Gajewski said this was not a police pursuit.
"Ourselves and members of the Macomb County Sheriff's Department are here to conduct an investigation. It's a sad day. It's a hard day," Gajewski said.
A family member of Hayden's says he's not only mourning the loss of a family member, but he's also grieving someone who inspired him to be a better man.
He claims this crash was the result of a high-speed pursuit.
"It was a high-speed car chase with a Warren police officer and another car, and my cousin was on his way home from work," said Maurice Perkins, who is a cousin of one the victims. "He works at Chrysler and I guess he was turning on the block and I guess the car was coming down fast and smashed his car."
Around 7:30 a.m. Monday at a gas station at Groesbeck and Schoenherr, there was a police pursuit following an attempted theft of an ATM with a black SUV. Police believe that case involved a tri-country string of stealing ATMs.
Police are still working to determine what led up to the crash.
