WYANDOTTE, Mich. (WXYZ) — "If someone runs from the police, we don't just go away," said Wyandotte Deputy Police Chief Archie Hamilton about the latest fleeing and eluding suspect, a man they're urging to turn himself in.
Video from police dash cameras shows the man turning around on sidewalks and driving at high speeds to get away from officers who were trying to stop him for driving recklessly.
"It's only a matter of time before we cross paths," said Hamilton, adding that they know who they're looking for. "I strongly, strongly encourage him to turn himself in. He can call our police department. He can walk into our police department. That is the calmer and safest thing to do at this point."
Saturday's pursuit is just one of several that the deputy police chief predicted would happen this weekend and will continue increasing in number.
Hamilton has been an outspoken critic of restrictive police pursuit policies placed on police departments in other jurisdictions and the lenient consequences for those who flee from police in motor vehicles.
"When we don't pursue criminals, they're going to actually run more often," he told 7 Action News. "That's why it only makes sense to strengthen our laws, support our police officers, and get rid of these restrictive policies."
Hamilton is urging state lawmakers to enact stiff penalties for the crime of fleeing and eluding, which involves a suspect's use of a motor vehicle.
"No plea deals," Hamilton said. "Put them in prison for running from the police and I assure you that will greatly reduce the number of people who run from the police."
Last week, 7 Action News showed viewers police video from a different pursuit that involved a stolen firearm suspect who led Wyandotte Police officers on a high-speed chase into Detroit where the suspect abandoned the vehicle.
Wyandotte detectives were able to track down the driver. That suspect, 38-year-old Keith Terrell Wright, now faces a long list of new charges that include fleeing, reckless driving, assaulting a police officer, and driving without a license.
And court records show, just a few weeks ago, on May 31, Wright was sentenced to probation for the same crime of fleeing.
Frustrated, Hamilton said, "He did not go to prison. He did not go to jail. Instead, it was reduced to a misdemeanor charge and he was, metaphorically, slapped on the wrist for his offense even though he endangered hundreds of lives."
