PONTIAC, Mich. (WXYZ) — A crash at the intersection of Auburn Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Pontiac is the latest in many crashes the city has seen in the past few months.
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"I've seen a lot of accidents happen here over the years," said Jesse Johnson, a Pontiac resident.
Johnson has lived in Pontiac for most of his life and says most of the crashes he knows about have been due to people speeding or not paying attention.
"I'd hate to get off work and know my wife and my kid died at an intersection or at a stop light because somebody didn't hit their brakes or was just trying to hurry up and get to Joe's house, but it don't take nothing but 10 more minutes to save a life," Johnson said.
Melissa Orlando, another Pontiac resident who lives near the intersection, shared similar concerns.
"They just speed down here really fast," Orlando said.
Recent crashes highlight ongoing safety concerns
There was a crash at MLK Boulevard and Auburn Avenue on Friday. According to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, police tried to stop a stolen vehicle in downtown Pontiac, which led to a chase. The suspect ran a red light at the intersection of MLK and Auburn and crashed into another vehicle.
The suspect suffered a head injury and the other driver was treated for minor injuries.
In late August, a mother and her two children were killed after being hit by another car suspected of speeding. That crash happened at the intersection of Joslyn and Montcalm.
"That's because somebody was speeding again, trying to hurry up and get somewhere and you killed somebody," Johnson said.
Sheriff's office increases patrols
In an effort to reduce crashes on Pontiac roads, Oakland County Sheriff deputies are stepping up patrols in hot spots for crashes, including at MLK Blvd. and Auburn, Huron and Saginaw, Baldwin and Montcalm, and Walton and Perry.
"We're definitely saturating the areas that are problems," said Deputy Evan Rothe of the Oakland County Sheriff's Office.
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