Man charged in Macomb County crash that killed 2 bound over to circuit court

A Sterling Heights, Michigan, man charged in a crash that killed two people in March has been bound over to circuit court, the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office said.

Early on March 14, police in Clinton Township, Michigan, saw 55-year-old Keith Lamar Blackwell speeding southbound on Gratiot Avenue in a 2022 Jeep Cherokee, prosecutors say. He allegedly continued speeding after an officer activated the emergency lights and siren on their squad car in an attempt to conduct a traffic stop.

Prosecutors said the Jeep, while traveling at speeds of more than 100 mph on Gratiot Avenue, collided with a white Volvo S60 going eastbound on 14 Mile Road. 

Two people were in the Volvo at the time of the crash; one died at the scene, while the other died at a hospital.

Police said Blackwell was taken into custody after the collision. According to the prosecutor's office, he was bound over to the Macomb County Circuit Court on Thursday on two counts each of second-degree murder, first-degree fleeing a police officer and reckless driving causing death.

"Two lives have been lost because of the dangers created when an individual allegedly chose to flee from law enforcement," Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido said in a written statement.

Blackwell is set to appear for arraignment in Macomb County Circuit Court on Nov. 23, the prosecutor's office said. If convicted, he faces a maximum of life in prison.