Police pursuit in Livingston County, Michigan, ends in collision
A Michigan man led Fenton police and Livingston County Sheriff's deputies on a chase last week that ended in a crash outside of Howell.
"[He] kind of figured he didn't have anything to lose, right?" said Livingston County Sheriff Mike Murphy. "[He] didn't want to go back to jail or prison, so let's see what we can do about evading the police."
The incident happened at about 4:30 p.m. on June 12 when Livingston County Sheriff's deputies were called to assist Fenton police in pursuing a driver fleeing from police. Murphy said the driver, 42-year-old Jeremy Nelson, was wearing an ankle monitor and driving a stolen car.
"We assume probably one of the biggest liabilities we can in law enforcement when there's a high-speed chase," said Murphy.
In Michigan, each law enforcement department makes its own policies when it comes to deciding whether to engage in a pursuit. For instance, Warren police have different criteria to follow than Taylor police, and they differ from Livingston County.
In Livingston County, factors like the severity of the crime and how fast the driver is going play into whether officers should engage. However, Murphy said he's liberal with his officers about when to do so.
"I think there's an increase. We've seen an increase recently because there are agencies out there that have either no chase policies or they're very, very, very restrictive on chasing, so you know, the bad guys communicate," he said. "The bad guys know where they can get away with what."
Between 2017 and 2021, 60 people died due to police pursuits, according to the University of Michigan. In the last month, a woman was killed when a fleeing driver crashed into her car in Warren.
"It's very dangerous for everybody," Murphy said.
