TRENTON, Mich. (WXYZ) — A high-speed police chase that started in Wyandotte ended with a vehicle crashing into a Trenton business early Sunday morning, causing extensive damage.
The pursuit began when Wyandotte police officers attempted to stop an apparently intoxicated driver near Biddle Avenue. When officers opened the car door to remove the driver, the suspect hit the gas pedal.
Watch the video report below:
"The officer actually opens the door to get him out of the vehicle and that's when the driver hits the gas," Wyandotte Police Chief Archie Hamilton said.
"Luckily by chance, he was unable to get the vehicle into drive when he hit the gas so that actually gave the officers a moment to react to kind of step out of the way."
Watch body camera video of the initial traffic stop before the chase below:
The driver and two passengers led police on a chase reaching speeds over 100 mph. The three-minute pursuit ended when the driver crashed into a parked car, sending both vehicles into Le Lieu, a rental hall in Trenton.
"Initially, I was shocked. And then I was very thankful that no one was injured," said Reece Lewellen, owner of Le Lieu.
Watch dash camera video of the chase after the traffic stop below:
Lewellen's business had only been open for a few months before the crash. He noted that the incident could have been much worse if it had happened earlier in the night.
"There was a party that evening that ended right around midnight. This happened in the early hours, some time after that, so that's one of the things we're very grateful for," Lewellen said.
The small business owner is now left to repair significant structural damage, uncertain when that portion of the building will reopen.
"They did extensive damage to this building. This is a business, you know, someone owns that business and now, this is their livelihood and now, it's destroyed," Hamilton said.
The police chief continues advocating for stricter penalties for those who flee from law enforcement.
When asked if stronger laws would reduce such incidents, Hamilton was emphatic: "There's zero question, zero, that if the penalty for flee and allude in the state had a mandatory jail time, a mandatory sentence, there's no question that it would reduce the amount of people running away from the police, absolutely. In fact, I'll even put my professional career on the line and say it will reduce crime."
Hamilton defended his department's pursuit policy against critics.
"We take a lot of criticism because our policy allows our officers to pursue, and for those that criticize us for pursuing criminals, I don't care what they think because they're wrong. Once police stop pursuing criminals, we have lawlessness," Hamilton said.
According to Hamilton, the driver and two passengers are currently hospitalized with serious but non-life threatening injuries. The driver faces charges including operating while intoxicated, fleeing and eluding, resisting and obstructing and possibly charges related to a stolen firearm found in the vehicle.
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