Detroit man faces charges after fatal vehicle crash

WARREN — A Detroit man faces charges following a high-speed police pursuit that resulted in one death.

“This is a somber moment, a tragedy and an outcome no officer ever wants to see,” Warren Police Commissioner Eric Hawkins said at a May 28 press conference. “We understand the gravity of this moment.”

Warren Police Lt. John Gajewski gave a rundown of the May 24 incident at the press conference. Police spotted Anthony Eugene-Douglas Grier Jr., 33, allegedly speeding northbound on Van Dyke Avenue near the General Motors Technical Center around 9:23 p.m. Officers detected the black Chrysler 300 traveling 72 mph in a 40-mph zone. The two officers, traveling in one squad car, flipped on their lights to initiate a traffic stop. Grier kept on going.

The vehicle exceeded speeds of 100 mph during the pursuit and headed south on Van Dyke. In total, he allegedly ran six red lights during the approximately five-minute long chase. Warren and Center Line police blocked Van Dyke’s intersections at 11 Mile and 12 Mile roads to minimize the risk to other motorists. Grier evaded spike strips thrown out by officers at 10 Mile Road. At Eight Mile Road, officers were ready to try to deflate the tires again. A helicopter was requested from the Michigan State Police and was en route to provide assistance.

Grier struck Wendy Drew’s vehicle at the intersection of Van Dyke and Nine Mile Road. Drew, a 71-year-old Hazel Park resident, was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

“The entire Warren Police Department has extended our heartfelt condolences to Ms. Drew’s husband,” Gajewski said.

Hawkins gave his condolences and didn’t mince words on his view of the situation.

“I want to make this perfectly clear: Anthony Grier killed Ms. Drew,” he said.

Prosecutor Peter Lucido said the Drews had been married for over 50 years. The couple have five children and 23 grandchildren.

“It’s tragic, it was a senseless loss of life,” Lucido said.

A Jeep Cherokee was also involved in the crash, though the occupant sustained no injuries.  Following the crash, Grier took off on foot.

He was “quickly apprehended by officers without further incident,” a press release from the Warren Police Department states. Gajewski said drugs did not seem to be a factor in the crash. The incident is still under further investigation.

Grier is charged with three felonies: second-degree homicide, fleeing a police officer in the first degree and assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer. He could face life in prison for the homicide charge. The fleeing charge could carry a 15-year sentence in prison and/or a fine of $10,000. The assaulting/resisting/obstructing charge could carry a two-year prison sentence and/or a fine of $2,000.

“In this case here, there was a total disregard of life,” Lucido said.

Grier was arraigned in 37th District Court on May 27 by Judge Michael Chupa and pleaded “not guilty.” He was denied bail and remanded into custody by Chupa.

At press time, Grier’s next district court date, a preliminary examination, was set for June 12 before Judge John Chmura. According to court records, Grier will be represented by attorney Joshua Ryan Van Laan.

“He’s entitled to the presumption of innocence,” Van Laan said. “It’s clear nobody is going to win in this case. We have someone who lost their life and it’s tragic no matter what happens, and our hearts definitely go out to her and her family. But, at this point, he has the presumption of innocence.”

In the release, Lucido said, “It’s obvious, in this case here, that this could’ve been avoided by stopping the vehicle when they activated the overheads.”

Grier has an unrelated concealed weapons charge against him in district court from last March. Gajewski said Grier has previously been convicted for operating a suspended license, receiving and concealing stolen property and attempted fleeing in other jurisdictions.

Both Lucido and Hawkins advocated for legislation at the state level to strengthen deterrents for those attempting to evade police.

 

‘A polarizing topic’
During the May 28 press conference, Hawkins highlighted the complexities of police pursuits.

“Police pursuits are a polarizing topic,” Hawkins said. “They’re challenging because pursuits are among the most high-risk actions officers can take. Like most polarizing issues in this country, well-meaning and reasonable people can see this issue differently.”

He discussed how some departments have increased restrictions on when officers can pursue, while others have loosened restrictions.

“There really is no consensus on what the threshold should be for the initiation and the continuation of a police pursuit,” Hawkins said.

While not giving specifics, Hawkins said Warren police officers can pursue under specific conditions. These conditions are outlined in a policy.

“A policy, by the way, that has been vetted and approved through the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police accreditation process,” he said.

Gajewski said pursuits are monitored in real-time and reviewed afterward.

“We review all of our pursuits, whether they’re within, outside or within the gray area of our policy,” Hawkins said. “If there are opportunities in our policy for adjustments in our policy, we take the opportunity to make those adjustments and modifications.”

Hawkins also pushed back on the public perception that the department is involved in too many pursuits.

“Pursuits are actually down 50%, year-to-date, compared to this time period last year,” he said. “Roughly half of those pursuits that have been initiated have been terminated by either the officer or supervisor. The overwhelming majority of those pursuits were found to be within policy and procedure.”

Hakwins said things were trending in a “positive direction,” though there is still work to be done. Later in the press conference he noted that every pursuit makes the department re-think its policy.

He homed in on the issue, as he sees it.

“The message has to be clearly sent that this is not a police problem, this is a people problem,” Hawkins said. “People who have refused to comply with lawful orders. People who refuse to have a sanctity of life underlying philosophy when they are out in the streets. That has to be addressed.”

The two officers involved in the pursuit are on paid administrative leave following the incident, which Hawkins said is part of the department’s policy. An internal investigation into their actions is underway. No charges have been brought against the officers.

“There are some things that we have to look at,” Hawkins said. “There are some conditions, with respect to decisions with speed and things like that, that we have to look at.”