Police Slam Into SUV, Killing 2 Innocent People, Over A Stolen Jeep

Screenshot: WDIV / YouTube

Most fatal crashes involving police vehicles typically involve a high-speed pursuit. However, a collision just outside of Detroit last week featured a police SUV speeding down a four-lane street while chasing no one. A Warren Police Department SUV t-boned a white Dodge Durango, killing both the driver and passenger inside. The crash is only becoming more egregious as more information comes to light.

Video sheds new light on deadly Warren police crash

The crash happened at 5:00 a.m. on Schoenherr Road. Cedric Hayden was in the Durango when he turned left off the street with DeJuan Pettis in the passenger seat. That is when the police SUV plowed into them, killing both Hayden and Pettis. Despite being described as a marked police vehicle, it was an all-black SUV with black decals. CCTV footage aired on WDIV also shows that the officers didn’t have the lights or sirens on at the time. Lieutenant John Gajewski said:

“Obviously, this was a car accident. The officers were clearly driving. As far as what they were doing, where they were going, I don’t want to comment on that. I don’t want to speculate. It’s still too early on. Obviously, with them being in surgery, I haven’t had the time to talk to them yet.”

Mitchell Slaggert’s Rainbow-Colored Jeep Wrangler

Both officers involved were seriously injured but are in stable condition. The police claim they were responding to a “be on the lookout” call when the crash happened. The department was looking for a stolen Jeep Grand Cherokee with two handguns inside the vehicle. An independent investigation is now underway, and the victims’ families have filed a $100 million lawsuit on Monday, WXYZ reports. Reckless tragedies like this show precisely why police chases are dangerous and shouldn’t happen. Innocent people get seriously injured or killed.