Warren intersection closed after fatal pursuit

Suspect dies after crashing into pickup and box truck

Amelia Benavides-Colón

The intersection at 10 Mile and Ryan in Warren was to be closed Tuesday afternoon following a police pursuit ending in a deadly crash.

The individual was stopped by uniformed officers for a routine traffic stop along Van Dyke and Stephens and quickly fled from the scene after being asked to exit the vehicle due to lack of identification.

The pursuit lasted all of three minutes as police followed the suspect north along Lawrence and 10 Mile, crossing a grassy field and through a solid red traffic signal. The suspect died as a result of the impact and was pronounced dead at the scene.

In a release Tuesday afternoon, Police Commissioner William Dwyer said police were aware of the pursuit in real time and able to change traffic lights accordingly to avoid any pedestrian harm.

“Traffic was light and the speeds were moderate throughout the entire pursuit which lasted approximately three minutes in length. Thankfully, no officers or other motorists were injured during this incident,” Dwyer said.

After crashing into a Ford-150 and Penske box truck, the suspect’s vehicle came to a halt. Officers on the scene reported a handgun on the floor of the vehicle upon final approach.

The driver, an unidentified male, was pronounced dead at the scene and no other motorists or pedestrians were injured.

The investigation is ongoing as Warren police begin to identify the suspect involved.

“I know that our investigators will be examining the driver’s background to gather more insight into this situation,” Dwyer said in the release. “This driver is dead due to the choice he made to flee from officers. Fleeing the police unfortunately cost this driver his life.”