A man with several outstanding warrants for his arrest led police on a car chase that ended with his vehicle rolling, causing his passenger to receive serious injuries, police say.
Around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, an officer with the Ionia Department of Public Safety was stopped at the intersection of King and Hackett streets. He observed a black, full-sized Chevrolet Suburban heading west bound on Hackett Street suddenly break, do a U-turn and drive through a yard of a residence.
The officer attempted to pull the vehicle over, but the vehicle accelerated quickly and attempted to evade the officer. The pursuit went northbound on State Street and then west on Dildine Road.
The pursuit continued on several other roads for an extended amount of time, police report, and the officer lost sight of the vehicle on Long Lake Road near M-66.
Roughly 20 minutes later, a Michigan State Police trooper spotted the vehicle and attempted to pull the vehicle over. The driver attempted to flee again and ended up losing control of his vehicle causing it to roll on Nickleplate Road near Stage Road.
The driver of the vehicle received non-severe injuries, and the passenger was taken to Sparrow-Ionia Hospital with severe injuries, police say. To get the occupants out of the vehicle, a hydraulic tool, also known as the Jaws of Life, had to be utilized.
The driver was lodged at the Ionia County Jail after being released from the hospital. Police say he had several outstanding warrants for his arrest, and is being charged with two separate incidents of fleeing and eluding and driving while license suspended.
The Ionia Department of Public Safety was also assisted by the Ionia County Sheriff’s Office and a DNR officer.
