Man charged with reckless driving after double-fatal crash during Clinton Township police pursuit

A man is facing multiple charges after a crash during a police pursuit in Macomb County, Michigan, that resulted in the deaths of two men. 

Keith Blackwell, 54, of Sterling Heights, participated in a video arraignment Monday in 41-B District Court in Clinton Township, on two counts each of reckless driving causing death and first-degree fleeing a police officer, Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido said. 

The circumstances leading to the charges happened about 2:30 a.m. on March 14 and led to the deaths of Richard Talley, 23, of Roseville, and Joshua Jones, 24, of Southfield. 

Prosecutors said that Clinton Township police saw Blackwell speeding southbound on Gratiot Avenue. Officers tried to do a traffic stop on the 2002 Jeep Cherokee with emergency lights and sirens activated, but the suspect continued southbound on Gratiot Avenue at speeds exceeding 100 mph, prosecutors said. 

The Jeep Cherokee then collided with a Volvo S60 that was southbound on 14 Mile Road. Talley and Jones were both in the Volvo, authorities have not yet determined which of the two was driving at the time. 

The Roseville Police Department led the crash investigation, Clinton Township police said. 

Blackwell also was injured in the crash and remains in a hospital, the prosecutor's office said. He is scheduled for a probable cause conference on April 27 on the pending charges. Bond is set at $100,000 cash or surety, the prosecutor's office said.