Daniel Shane Canales, 16, is seated at the defense table during his exam hearing Monday on Sept. 29 in the 41B District Court in Shelby Township.
By: Brian Wells | C&G Newspapers | Published October 10, 2025
CLINTON TOWNSHIP/MADISON HEIGHTS — The preliminary examination hearing for a 16-year-old who was allegedly driving a stolen vehicle when he crashed into another vehicle, killing the driver, went forward Sept. 29.
Daniel Shane Canales was arraigned in 41B District Court in Clinton Township in July as an adult on one count of second-degree murder and four other charges in connection with the crash that occurred July 12 at the intersection of 11 Mile Road and Van Dyke Avenue. Alex Habib, a 28-year-old Madison Heights resident, was killed in the crash.
Canales is facing five charges: second-degree homicide, a life felony; first-degree fleeing a police officer, a 15-year felony; operating with a suspended license causing death, a 15-year felony; third-degree fleeing a police officer, a five-year felony; and unlawfully driving away a motor vehicle, a five-year felony. He entered a not guilty plea.
Officers recall events leading to crash
While testifying, Clinton Township police officer Trevor Tanner said he was called to the Eastwood Village Apartments in Clinton Township after a witness called stating a person had been seen trying to break into vehicles in the parking lot.
While driving to the scene, he received a report of a car chase that occurred inside the complex that led to a foot pursuit.
“It was a small car chase inside the apartment complex that led to a foot chase. Officers were calling … about this incident, so it changed my mentality just to go from an assist to an emergency assist, regular lights and sirens to the actual apartment complex itself,” he said.
A second defendant, an unidentified 12-year-old who is reported to have been working with Canales but is being charged separately, was taken into custody by another officer.
Dispatch received another call from the original caller stating the suspect they had witnessed was still in the area while Tanner was assisting to process the scene. He located a suspect vehicle — a black Hyundai Sonata — attempting to leave the apartment complex.
“Its lights were not activated, it was hitting the curb of the service drive because the driver was actively looking around, as if they were looking for something or someone,” Tanner said. “So given all the suspicious circumstances, that’s initially why I wanted to pull that vehicle over.”
He said the vehicle didn’t have any lights on, and that they were never turned on while he was pursuing it. When Tanner attempted to initiate a traffic stop, the vehicle fled on Metro Parkway to westbound Interstate 94. Tanner continued to pursue as the suspect exited the highway onto Little Mack Avenue.
While Tanner was unsure of the maximum speed of the chase, he was ordered by his commander to terminate because the suspect vehicle was driving erratically.
Shortly after Tanner terminated the crash, Roseville police officer Mitchell Ernatt observed the suspect’s vehicle near Gratiot Avenue and Masonic Road. When Ernatt attempted to initiate a traffic stop, the vehicle fled onto westbound I-94. Ernatt continued to pursue the vehicle on I-94 as it changed onto Interstate 696, then exited at Hoover Road.
While dashcam footage from Ernatt’s vehicle was played, he could be heard relaying speeds of up to 115 mph to dispatch.
The vehicle continued to flee, passing Hoover Road. When it reached the intersection at Van Dyke Avenue, Ernatt could be heard relaying to dispatch that a crash had occurred.
Ernatt said when he arrived at the scene of the crash, the driver of the white vehicle was unconscious in the driver’s seat. After receiving some treatment at the scene, he was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
When asked to identify the victim, Ernatt identified him as Habib. Roseville police Detective Joanna Gudel, the officer in charge of the investigation, read part of the autopsy report into evidence.
According to the report, Habib died of multiple blunt force injuries. His death was ruled as an accident.
Hearing adjourned at defense attorney’s request
Before the hearing began, Robbie Lang, Canales’ attorney, requested to adjourn the hearing because he had not received several pieces of evidence, including additional bodycam footage and information regarding the other juvenile involved.
The evidence, he said, would help him determine whether or not he would need to call additional witnesses or recall a witness that had already testified.
“The fact that this is a murder charge, I need to feel super comfortable and fully prepared before we do a preliminary examination, and I don’t quite feel that way,” Lang said.
Macomb County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Jeffrey Hall argued that the evidence Lang was requesting wouldn’t be needed to go forward with the preliminary exam.
“The purpose for today is just to show that the people have enough evidence to put the case forward to trial,” he said. “I think that the evidence the defense is asking for really isn’t heavy bearing on the evidence that we’re looking at today. And while I don’t dispute their right to ask for those things, I don’t think they’re necessary to conduct this hearing.”
Before the hearing, District Court Judge Jacob Femminineo Jr. denied Lang’s request, but he changed his stance when Lang made the request again after the prosecutor rested.
“I’m struggling with the relevance of these dashcam conversations. However, Mr. Lane, I can understand,” he said. “The fact that we’re throwing a lot of discovery out at one time has a lot of different communications to go through to figure out what’s going on.”
Femminineo added that he didn’t want it to be a long adjournment.
The hearing is scheduled to continue at 1 p.m. Nov. 3.