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What's the weather for today?
Today: Partly sunny with a few afternoon sprinkles or an isolated shower. Highs near 70°. Winds: NW 10 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy with lows in the mid to low 40s to around 50° in Detroit. Winds: WNW 5-10 mph.
Wednesday: Partly sunny with highs in the low 70s. Winds: W 10-15 mph.
The top stories to know about
Investigation finds Hamtramck police chief violated policies
An independent investigation has substantiated multiple allegations against Hamtramck Police Chief Jamiel Altaheri, including driving a city vehicle after drinking alcohol and pressuring officers to help in a custody dispute.
The city reportedly paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for the investigation after a memo from a city employee began circulating, alleging the chief acted improperly on several occasions and may have broken the law.
The investigation, conducted by law firm Miller Johnson, combed through more than half a million documents and included about 40 witness interviews. The findings were released Sunday.
The investigation found several allegations against Altaheri to be true, including:
- Driving a city vehicle after drinking alcohol
- Pressuring officers to help in a custody dispute
- Handing a loaded gun to a civilian volunteer and instructing them to put it to someone's head
Residents are calling for immediate action from city leadership.
"I would get fired if I worked like that at my job, doing side deals and took people's safety lightly. I wouldn't have a job," said Tracy Pilcher.
Mark Armand said city leaders need to step up.
"Do what's right for the city. If somebody did all those things they are accused of, then they shouldn't be in charge of anybody," Armand said.
The report also examined allegations against Officer David Adamczyk and City Manager Max Garbarino. All three officials are currently on administrative leave.
The investigation found Adamczyk committed overtime abuse and violated policies regarding stolen property, among other violations.
Regarding Garbarino, the investigation largely did not substantiate the initial allegations against him, but found he exercised poor judgment in his role as city manager, including delaying addressing allegations of misconduct by Altaheri and Adamczyk.
The report was posted on the city's website and taken down soon after, but not before 7 News Detroit downloaded the document.
We reached out to the city's mayor and every member of the city council for comment, but received no responses. I also reached out to Hamtramck's police chief, but have not yet heard back.
Dearborn man fights for life after intentional hit-and-run, suspect charged with attempted murder
A 40-year-old Dearborn man is fighting for his life and is in critical condition after police say he was intentionally run over while crossing Michigan Avenue.
Haidar Al Fadawi was crossing the street when surveillance video shows a vehicle speed up, cross over the center turn lane, and hit him.
The 38-year-old allegedly behind the wheel was arraigned in district court on multiple charges including attempted murder.
Video circulating on social media shows Al Fadawi going to Dearborn police, warning that someone was trying to kill him just hours before the attack.
Surveillance video from Westborn Physical Therapy shows Al Fadawi crossing the street around 10:45 p.m. on Saturday. A vehicle that appears to be lying in wait pulls out of a nearby parking lot, speeds up, veers to the left, and hits Al Fadawi as he tries running away. The driver fled the scene, leaving him for dead.
Al Fadawi's decorated car is well known around town. His family is no stranger to tragedy — in 2021, his 7-year-old daughter Batoul was tragically killed in another hit-and-run in Dearborn.
The man accused of running over Al Fadawi is 38-year-old Murtadha Jabbar Alizairij, who allegedly fled the scene before calling 911 to turn himself in 30 minutes later. He was arraigned on multiple charges, including assault with intent to murder.
"There is a video of the incident, but there are many videos of the victim threatening my client, threatening his family, insulting everybody. This has been building up," said Abed Hammoud, attorney for the defendant.
Both attorneys say Al Fadawi was employed by the suspect's family until a recent dispute. Hammoud claims Al Fadawi was recently let go, but Makled alleges Al Fadawi left after making complaints, saying he had worked as a truck driver and the company failed to have adequate insurance.
“Haidar made it very clear that he was upset, that he’d be put in a position where he’s driving semi trucks that are uninsured. So Haidar received a traffic ticket because of that, and the company failed to respond to the traffic ticket, and that’s what upset Haidar so much,” said Makled. “That's what caused this dispute, it's over a $500 traffic ticket.”
'Caught my eye': Allen Park gets colorful with new Paint the Park mural project
Downtown Allen Park is getting a colorful makeover over the next few weeks as part of "Paint the Park," a new multiyear initiative bringing vibrant murals to local businesses.
The project is creating excitement among residents like Emma Enriquez, who noticed the artwork immediately.
"It definitely caught my eye and I was like wow, that's really good," Enriquez said.
The initiative came about when the Allen Park Downtown Development Authority reached out to The Mural People, a metro Detroit-based organization that works with downtown development authorities on large-scale art installations.
"So, the Allen Park DDA approached me and said we want some murals, so we were happy to oblige," Michelle Tanguay said.
Tanguay is the founder of The Mural People. Artists from as far as Belgium are creating eight new murals on business walls ahead of the city's Made in Michigan Festival beginning Sept. 12.
One example is new artwork outside Alexander's Cleaners on Allen Road, highlighting the city's status as home of the Detroit Lions. The mural features former Lions fullback Cory Schlesinger, who now teaches drafting and architecture at Allen Park High School.
"They've been a great member of our community and a great asset, and I wanted to show thanks to them for being here and I thought this was a good way of doing that," Alex Alexander, the owner of Alexander's Cleaners, said.
Schlesinger said "most people don't know this but during the offseasons, I used to go back and substitute teach. I actually taught two years at the University Nebraska."
Schlesinger says it's an honor to see his image as part of the initiative.
"Allen Park is a great — blue collar, great community here," Schlesinger said.
