By: Ross JonesDETROIT (WXYZ) - The Action News Investigators uncover another shady incident involving the woman at the center of the Detroit police sex scanda, and now it's caught the attention of the Detroit Police Department. This time it's a car accident and a possible cover-up. Action News Investigator Scott Lewis reveals the latest in a string of startling revelations that has the police department looking into what we've uncovered, according to a department spokesperson.
The Investigators were first to report on how Lt. Monique Patterson’s love affair with ex-Chief Warren Evans led to his demise. We also exposed her checkered background, a history of temper tantrums, criminal charges, and police reprimands. Tonight we open a whole new can of worms: this time, a crippling car accident and suspicions of a cover-up.
Life just isn't the same any more for 87-year-old Willie Harper. Two years ago he was a vibrant man, constantly cruising around the neighborhood on his bicycle. Now, the bike is beached in the dining room, and Harper needs a motorized scooter to get around.
Too much pain from a torn ligament in his left knee to walk or bike, from an injury caused when Harper was hit by a car. But not just any car, an unmarked Detroit police car.
"I can't say she was going extremely fast, but she was going fast enough to where when the car hit him, it lifted him up and literally knocked him down to the ground," said Shauna Hubert, who witnessed the accident.
And what hurts Willie Harper almost as much as the banged up knee is the behavior of the woman who hit him: Lt. Monique Patterson, the woman at the center of the scandal rocking the Detroit Police Department. Harper says Patterson never got out of her car to check on him.
"I feel kind of hurt because she...I figured she should ask me how you feel sir, can i help you, uou want a glass of water or something," said Harper.
"She never even looked at me. She just took a picture of her car and that was that," he said.
And there's more. As you'll see in a minute, official police records totally conflict with Willie Harper's version of the accident, and also with a witness who says she was standing right next to Harper when it happened. Both Harper and the witness suspect a cover-up.
It was October of 2008. Willie Harper's granddaughters were out in the middle of Grand Blvd. fighting. One was swinging at the other with a frying pan. Lt. Monique Patterson just happened to be coming down the street on duty in her unmarked police car. As she rolled up, witnesses say her attention was locked on the two girls fighting in the street. She drove over the curb and hit Willie Harper.
"Like this is the car here. And roughly this was Mr. (Harper) here. Because they were fighting in that area," said witness Shauna Hubert, re-creating the accident.
Hubert says she was walking home from the store when she witnessed the accident.
"She still had the car in drive," said Hubert. "I ran to her window and I beat on her window. I said, 'Miss you just hit this guy!' She didn't say anything so I still seen the car in drive. So I ran, I proceeded to walk around to the driver's side window. And I beat on the window again and said, 'You didn't hear me, you just hit this guy,' at which time she took her badge out and she said, 'Get back away from my car I'm a police officer.' "
Hubert says Patterson immediately got on her cell phone.
"She called the police, two police officers came," said Willie Harper.
And guess who was the first cop to arrive on the scene. Are you ready for this? Sources say it was Patterson's boyfriend at the time, officer John Wills. And Wills' account of the accident is totally different. He said Willie Harper stepped off the curb in front of Patterson's car, shifting the blame to the old man.
"Did you step off the curb in front of the car," asked Investigator Scott Lewis.
"No sir, she ran up on the curb," said Harper.
"You're sure," asked Lewis.
"Yes," said Harper, "I''m positive."
Shauna Hubert is just as certain.
"Is there any question at all that she came up onto the sidewalk and hit him," asked Lewis.
"There's no question at all," said Harper.
"He didn't step into the street," asked Lewis.
"He was not in the street at all," she said.
The second cop on the scene filed a report also saying Harper stepped out in front of Patterson's car and that officer drew the scenario out on paper. When shown the copy of the accident report completed by an investigator, Willie Hubert became emotional.
"Why would they even tell a lie? Why won't they tell the truth? The truth will set you free. And that's what I'm telling you, siir. I'm telling you the truth, so help me God," said Harper.
Harper says no officer at the scene ever asked him what happened.
"Did they ask you for statements," asked Lewis.
"No, they didn't ask for any statements," said Hubert.
"When the police car pulled up, they cleared the scene, and you know, they asked everybody to leave. They never asked for anybody's names, any
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