21 Died in Police Pursuit Crashes Last Year
State police say the number of fatalities occurring from crashes while police were in pursuit has dropped in Michigan.
Michigan State Police officials say there were fewer fatal crashes last year than in 2014 involving drivers who were being chased by police. Officials say twenty-one people died in 2015 as a result of car crashes while police were in pursuit.
But, State Police First Lieutenant Mike Shaw says there has actually been an increase in the number of people fleeing from police for even minor issues, like parking tickets or suspended licenses.
“If there’s something happening there that you don’t believe in or you think you didn’t do anything wrong, that’s what the court system is for,” Shaw says. “To put the public at danger by traveling 80, 90 miles an hour hoping that someone’s eventually not going to chase you anymore is kind of ludicrous.”
Shaw says the crashes would not be an issue if suspects did not try to outrun law enforcement officials.
