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Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Fatal police pursuits: Commish says work is needed to address people who refuse lawful orders
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 More: Prosecutor: No retrial for ex-cop Christopher Schurr in shooting death of Patrick Lyoya 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: chall@ Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @challreporter. Support local journalism. Subscribe to the Free Press. Submit a letter to the editor at This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Fatal police pursuits: Warren official blames people who refuse lawful orders
Business Insider
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
Dick Van Dyke's wife says there's a 'curse' that comes with her husband living to almost 100
Dick Van Dyke may be 99 years old and leading an active life, but longevity comes with its own set of challenges too. During a "Dick & Arlene Van Dyke Present Vandy Camp" event in California, the actor and his wife, Arlene, spoke about the heartbreaking reality that comes with him living to almost 100. Van Dyke reflected on the death of his longtime friend Ed Asner and shared that they were supposed to remake "The Odd Couple," a 1965 Broadway play about two roommates that has been adapted into a movie and a TV sitcom over the years. Asner died in 2021 at the age of 91. "That would've been such fun, and we lost it. I've lost a lot of friends," Van Dyke said, per People. "He's outlived everybody," his wife, 53, said. "That's the curse of living to almost 100." Despite losing so many friends and costars over the years, the " Mary Poppins" star is "still so positive," she said. "Well, life's been good to me. I can't complain," he added. This isn't the first time that Van Dyke has spoken about aging and longevity. In a 2023 CBS interview, the "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" actor said he would have taken better care of himself if he had known he was going to live such a long life. He also reflected on outliving his friends Norman Lear, who died a few weeks before the interview, and Carl Reiner, who died in 2020 at 98. "Everybody I knew and worked with, there's no one left," Van Dyke said. In 2024, Van Dyke told Entertainment Tonight that regular exercise has been the "secret" to his longevity. "I've often tried to think, 'What did I do to live this long?' and I can't figure out," he said. "The only thing is I've always exercised. We still go to the gym three days a week and work out." According to the CDC, the average life expectancy in the US is 74.8 years for males and 80.2 years for females. However, the number of centenarians in the US is projected to increase from 107,000 in 2025 to about 444,000 in 2055, per estimates from the United States Census Bureau. But living that long often means outliving friends, partners, and peers, making loneliness a growing concern among older Americans. Additionally, Rose Anne Kenny, a professor at Trinity College Dublin whose work focuses on aging, said that research has shown that having social interactions and good friendships could be as important as exercise and diet for longevity. Several baby boomers told BI that they are finding budget-friendly ways to maintain a healthy social life, including taking up new hobbies and returning to work. A representative for Van Dyke did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by BI outside regular hours.
New York Post
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Dick Van Dyke, 99, reveals the heartbreaking ‘curse' of living to almost 100
Dick Van Dyke has experienced heartache in aging. The 99-year-old Hollywood legend spoke about how he's lost special people in his life during a recent Q&A where he reflected on Ed Asner's death in 2021 before they could make a remake of 'The Odd Couple.' 'That would've been such fun, and we lost it,' said Van Dyke, per People. 'I've lost a lot of friends.' Advertisement 8 Dick Van Dyke hosts the second 'Vandy Camp' to aid fire relief in Malibu on April 20. BACKGRID 8 Dick Van Dyke steps out in Malibu in April 2025. BACKGRID 8 Dick Van Dyke in 1960. Michael Ochs Archives Advertisement 'He's outlived everybody,' Van Dyke's wife, Arlene Silver, added at the event in Malibu, Calif. 'That's the curse of living to almost 100,' she shared. 8 Arlene Silver and Dick Van Dyke at the CBS Original Special 'Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic' in 2023. CBS via Getty Images But Silver, 53, also noted that Van Dyke is 'still so positive' despite the deaths of so many of his friends and former co-stars. Advertisement When asked how he maintains a positive outlook on life, Van Dyke replied, 'Well, life's been good to me. I can't complain.' The 'Mary Poppins' star has been married to Silver since 2012. 8 Arlene Silver and Dick Van Dyke at the AMD British Academy Britannia Awards in 2017. REUTERS Van Dyke revealed last month how the couple make their marriage work despite their 46-year age gap. Advertisement 'We get along so well,' he told People, as Silver added, 'We just care about each other so much.' 'Everybody said it wouldn't work,' Van Dyke recalled. 8 Dick Van Dyke on his sitcom in 1961. Courtesy Everett Collection Along with a happy marriage, Van Dyke has kept up a healthy lifestyle that he's said involves going to the gym multiple times a week. 'Somebody said, 'To what do you attribute your age and physical condition?' I've always exercised three days a week,' he shared in January on Ted Danson's podcast, 'Where Everybody Knows Your Name.' 8 Dick Van Dyke attends the 43rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors in 2021. Getty Images 'We go to the gym still, and I think that's why I'm not stove up like my equals,' Van Dyke said. Danson, 77, told Van Dyke: 'I would go to the same gym you did, and if I got there early enough, I would see you literally work out on some weight machine. And then, almost like you were doing circuit training, you would not walk to the next machine, you'd dance. You literally danced to the next machine.' Advertisement 8 Dick Van Dyke at the 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2013. WireImage While his health is fine, Van Dyke faced a scary incident earlier this year when his home was threatened by the deadly Palisades Fire. He and Silver did not evacuate their $8 million house despite the blaze destroying other celebrity mansions in Malibu and adjacent areas. When the fires hit the couple's neighborhood, Van Dyke tried to crawl to the car to escape. Luckily, his neighbors came to his aid at the time.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
Putting an end to gun violence, Midstate group calls on state legislators
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – Fifty colorful T-shirts line the north Front Street side of Harrisburg's Beth El Temple. 'Each contain the name and age and date of death of someone who's lost their life to gun violence in the Harrisburg area,' said Ann Van Dyke, with the group, Heeding God's Call to End Gun Violence. As gun violence continues to plague the city, this interfaith religious group is calling for action locally and federally. Since 2012, the group has been fighting for change — while working to keep the memory of those taken too soon alive. Pennsylvania woman selected to be contestant on 'The Price is Right' 'Since 2009, we have lost 246 people,' Van Dyke shared. 'They range in age from six to 74. Most of them were young, young men in their teens and twenties and early thirties.' The group calling on state legislators. Van Dyke told abc27 News, they would like the number of handguns one can purchase a month to be limited and they want even private purchasers to be subjected to background checks. Anita Stabile, a volunteer with the group, says nothing is going to change if advocates don't keep pushing. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now 'It's heartbreaking that this violence continues and that a lot of these families are really appreciative of this activity because they feel, and rightfully so, that their family members are forgotten, but they are not,' Stabile said. 'And we wanted them to be acknowledged that there's a loss and that we all feel for them.' The memorial will remain outside Harrisburg's Beth El temple until May 27th — before it is moved to another religious congregation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Time of India
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Dick Van Dyke and Arlene Silver are still happy together after 13 years and say age is just a number
twitter Veteran actor Dick Van Dyke and his wife, Arlene Silver , recently opened up about their relationship, which has lasted more than a decade despite a significant age difference between them. The couple has often faced criticism due to their 46-year age gap, but they say they're proud of their bond and how strong it has remained through the years. As reported by People magazine, the couple celebrated their 13th wedding anniversary earlier this year. Van Dyke, who is now 99 and set to turn 100 in December 2025, said that many people didn't believe their marriage would last. He recalled how almost 'everybody' told him their relationship would not work because of their age difference. But he and Silver feel they've proven those doubts wrong. 'We get along so well,' the actor said at an event in Malibu on April 20. The couple was attending the second Vandy Camp, a fundraiser for wildlife support. Arlene Silver, who is 53, agreed with her husband, adding that their relationship works better than many where both partners are closer in age. She commented, 'It's eerie how well it works' and noted that some same-age couples don't even last as long. She emphasized that the two genuinely care for each other and support one another in everything they do. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like In Wien tragen Seniorinnen jetzt diese Sandalen Sandalen im Trend Undo Their love story began back in 2006 when they first met at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. At the time, Silver was working as a makeup artist. Van Dyke said that normally he was too shy to greet strangers, but something about Silver made him walk up to her and introduce himself. He remembered thinking there was something special about her and later felt confident that he was 'right' to trust that feeling. Before meeting Silver, Van Dyke had been in a long-term relationship with Michelle Triola for over 30 years until she passed away due to lung cancer. He began dating Silver in 2009, and the two married in 2012. Silver once revealed in a past interview that she didn't initially recognize Van Dyke as a famous actor, although he looked familiar. Despite that, they quickly formed a connection, and she said Van Dyke has always made her feel like she could achieve anything. She added that their relationship is built on mutual encouragement and love. Now, even with nearly half a century between them in age, Dick Van Dyke and Arlene Silver say their relationship is thriving. They continue to enjoy life together and support each other every step of the way.
