Fatal police pursuits: Commish says work is needed to address people who refuse lawful orders

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29-05-2025

The death of a Hazel Park grandmother after a Detroit man crashed into her vehicle while being pursued by Warren police is bringing to the forefront the issue of drivers not stopping for police and the unintended consequences of police pursuits.
"This is a somber moment. A tragedy and an outcome that no officer ever wants to see. We understand the gravity of this moment," Warren Police Commissioner Eric Hawkins said during a news conference Wednesday, May 28, four days after 71-year-old Wendy Drew died after the crash at 9 Mile and Van Dyke.
Drew was married to her husband for more than 50 years, had five sons and 23 grandchildren, Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said, calling her death "tragic" and "a senseless loss of life."
Anthony Grier Jr., 33, who was charged after the approximately five-minute pursuit that Hawkins said exceeded 100 mph at times, is facing second-degree murder, fleeing police and assaulting, resisting or obstructing police.
Grier pleaded not guilty during arraignment Tuesday, May 27, in 37th District Court, where court-appointed counsel was requested. No attorney was named in online court records. Grier is being held in the county jail without bond. A probable cause conference is set for June 5. A preliminary exam is scheduled for June 12.
Hawkins said it's unclear why Grier didn't stop, saying had a valid driver's license and no outstanding warrants. Grier has an unrelated carrying concealed weapons charge from March in the district court. Police said Grier has prior convictions for operating on a suspended license, receiving and concealing stolen property, attempted fleeing and eluding and 15 prior citations for speeding and other traffic offenses.
More: Suspect in custody after police chase, car crash kills woman at 9 Mile, Van Dyke in Warren
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The two Warren police officers who initiated the pursuit are on paid administrative leave pending an internal investigation.
"I want to make this perfectly clear: Anthony Grier killed Miss Drew," Hawkins said, adding the community is "thankful" for Lucido holding him accountable.
Police said the officers clocked Grier, driving a Chrysler 300 northbound, at 72 mph in a 40-mph zone on Van Dyke, south of 13 Mile, on radar about 9:23 p.m. May 24. The officers turned around to initiate a traffic stop on Van Dyke and Miller, south of 14 Mile, but Grier sped away, police said.
The officers initiated a pursuit, notifying dispatch and other officers, police said. The officers had activated lights and sirens. A Michigan State Police helicopter was requested, with officers told one was enroute. Police Lt. John Gajewski said the pursuit briefly went into Sterling Heights, then south on Van Dyke back into Warren.
Police said Grier didn't stop, drove on a sidewalk and grass and in the middle turn lane. Gajewski said Grier ran six red lights, including one where the crash occurred. Police said he was speeding in areas where speed limits were 35-40 mph. Officers blocked traffic at intersections along Van Dyke, Gajewski said, and police said Grier evaded stop sticks at 10 Mile and Van Dyke.
Grier's car hit Drew's vehicle at 9 Mile, police said, with the impact causing another vehicle to be damaged. That driver was not hurt. Police said Grier ran, but was caught by officers. Neither alcohol nor drugs appear to be a factor, police said.
"In this case here, there was a total disregard of life being on that road. Driving on sidewalks, in and out of traffic, middle lane, at a high rate of speed in the commission of a felony. How much more can I tell you?" Lucido said, adding this could have been avoided had Grier stopped when officers activated their overhead lights.
Warren police were involved in a pursuit two days later, on Memorial Day, when an officer tried to stop a car for window tint and other violations near 9 Mile and Masch. The driver, a 25-year-old Warren man, stopped on 9 Mile, but police said he refused to get out of his car and fled. They said he didn't have a valid driver's license and the officer spotted signs of suspected intoxication.
Less than minute after the pursuit began, police said, the officer saw the driver lose control of his car near Toepfer and Audrey, hit several unoccupied parked vehicles and the front porch of a residence on Audrey. The driver fled, but was arrested and charged. No one was hurt.
Two other Warren police pursuits within the last year were fatal.
In November, a Warren officer was criminally charged in the September deaths of two men who were killed when a police cruiser collided violently with their SUV, with Macomb County Sheriff's officials indicating the cruiser was traveling at 93.8 mph at the time of impact and had no emergency lights or sirens activated. The officer's next court date is June 23 in the district court.
In July, two men were charged in a fatal crash during a Warren police chase that began when three Dodge Chargers were spotted speeding and suspected of drag racing. Police tried to conduct a stop. One driver stopped, police said, but the other two fled and officers gave chase. During the pursuit, one of the vehicles crashed into a Jeep, killing the driver.
Hawkins said police pursuits are a "polarizing topic" and complex issue with nuance, with people seeing the issue differently and law enforcement handling the initiation and continuation of pursuits differently. Some agencies are more restrictive; others allow more discretion.
Hawkins said Warren police allow officers to initiate pursuits under certain conditions. He said the policy has been vetted and approved through the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police accreditation process. Police officials said supervisors and officers are vested with the authority to terminate pursuits.
Warren police officials, who released a portion of video from the officers' dashcam in the May 24 pursuit, said per policy, a supervisor monitors vehicle pursuits live as they are happening, watching factors such as driving behavior, traffic volumes and vehicle speeds. Pursuits are reviewed by administration afterward to make sure there is compliance with policies and procedures, Hawkins said, and violations are subject to discipline.
Hawkins said pursuits in the city are down 50% year to date compared to this time period last year. He didn't have a specific number, but said there have been about 60 pursuits this year. He said roughly half of those pursuits that had been initiated, had been terminated by either the officer or supervisor and the "overwhelming majority of those pursuits" were found to be within policy and procedure.
"Are we where we want to be right now?" he said. "I think that if you would ask our command officers and even our rank-and-file officers, they would probably say that there is improvement that can be made."
Hawkins said the number of people who are refusing lawful commands of officers and not stopping their vehicles "is absolutely astonishing." He said he believes work can be done at many levels to address that, including legislative opportunities and public service announcements.
But, he said, "the message has to be clearly set that this is not a police problem, this is a people problem. People who have refused to comply with lawful orders. People who refuse to have a sanctity of life ... philosophy when they are out in the streets. That has to be addressed."
Contact Christina Hall: [e-mail]. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @challreporter.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Fatal police pursuits: Warren official blames people who refuse lawful orders