Warren residents raise safety concerns after high-speed chase in neighborhood causes damage
Warren police say a patrol officer initiated a traffic stop Monday on a Chrysler 300, leading to a brief vehicle pursuit. The chase ended when the driver smashed into several parked cars and homes near the corner of Audrey and Elza streets.
"Suddenly, I heard this big sound like everything is crashing," said resident Miskat Sikder.
There were no reported injuries from this high-speed chase. However, a day before, Warren police were involved in another chase. A 71-year-old woman died after being hit by the suspect's vehicle.
A Warren resident told CBS News Detroit these police chases are becoming a pattern, all too frequent in their community.
"It doesn't seem like it's working as of lately, cause this is like the second occurrence in about a week," Joseph Likowski said.
Former federal prosecutor Rick Convertino says the regularity and adverse outcome of high-speed chases across the country is why many police stations have reevaluated their car chase policy in recent years.
"Property damage during these high-speed chases is about 1 in 5, personal injuries is about 1 in 7, and deaths occurring at a high-speed chase is about 1 in 30," Convertino said.
Just last year, Michigan State Police changed their policy so that officers on patrol will now only initiate a pursuit if they suspect the occupant of the suspect vehicle has committed a violent or life-threatening felony. Meanwhile, the suspect from Monday's chase is currently in police custody at a local hospital.