HIGHLAND PARK, Mich. (WXYZ) — A Highland Park city councilman is facing several criminal charges after a car crash and telling police he would not take a breathalyzer test.
The crash took place just after 11 p.m. Monday in the area of Hamilton Avenue and Pilgrim Street. Councilman Khursheed Ash-Shafii was involved. Bodycam video captures officers ask him and the other driver what took place.
Watch below: Bodycam shows aftermath of crash and police interaction with Ash-Shafii
“There was nobody here. All of a sudden, I don’t where the (expletive) they come from. They were right in front of me and we ran right into each other," Ash-Shafii told the officer.
“Did you not see him?" the officer asked.
"I didn’t see them till I hit them," Ash-Shafii said.
“He ran directly into me, man," the other driver said.
A police report I obtained through the Freedom of Information Act shows EMTs described a smell of alcohol and observed slurred speech from Ash-Shafii. At the scene, he stated clearly he would not take a breathalyzer test.
“I don’t have alcohol in my system," he told officers on bodycam.
Watch: Bodycam shows Ash-Shafii interaction while in the back of an ambulance
"We smell alcohol. If you don’t, it’s even better. Refusal to blow on this is a civil infraction up to $200," the officer said.
“He appeared to be frustrated with the whole situation and he was not very cooperative," Highland Park Police Chief James McMahon III said.
“Was the councilman driving legally?" I asked.
"No. His license was suspended," McMahon said.
Ash-Shafii is often a vocal presence at city council meetings and has been critical of his own police force in the past.
On Wednesday, I visited him at home to hear his explanation for what was seen and what was in the report. Police said there was an empty alcohol bottle in the center console.
“Can you tell me why you wouldn’t take a breathalyzer?" I asked.
"I don’t have time for this," he said.
"Can you tell me why you drove on a suspended license?” I asked.
Ash-Shafii has already been arraigned on charges and remains free on bond. As for what he said to officers earlier this week, the councilman once again explained the crash by saying, "They came out of no (expletive) where. I kid you not."
Police did take a blood draw at the hospital but results are pending.
