The family of a Warren, Michigan, man has filed a $100 million lawsuit against the city and two police officers who struck and killed their loved one in a deadly crash that killed two people.
News of the lawsuit came just days after two Warren police officers struck and killed the two men and lifelong friends, 34-year-old Cedric Hayden and 33-year-old DeJuan Pettis. Both officers were seriously injured in the crash and one of the officers underwent critical surgery. Both officers are in stable condition. The car crash happened at around 5:00 am on September 30th on Schoenherr Road, north of 8 Mile Road.
The lawsuit was filed by Fieger Law on behalf of Hayden’s estate and is seeking $100 million not including costs, interest, and attorney fees. Fieger Law attorney James Harrington says more lawsuits will be filed, including a lawsuit on behalf of Pettis. The Hayden lawsuit includes several claims for liability, including for negligence, gross negligence, and willful and wanton misconduct on the part of the officers. It also claims there was a violation of Michigan statute 69.1405, outlining the negligent operation of a government-owned vehicle. A third claim is lodged against the city, arguing that ownership liability and vicarious liability lie with the City of Warren.
The crash garnered national attention because of the brazen nature in which it happened. According to reports, at the time of the accident, the two officers were in a fully marked police vehicle. They were driving at a high rate of speed when they crashed into the Dodge Durango Hayden and Pettis were driving in.
Harrington shares that he expects data from the crash to show that the police vehicle was moving at over 100 mph when the collision occurred.
The moment of the crash was caught on surveillance footage from a nearby establishment. In the video, the police car can be seen as a streak moving across the screen before it crashes into the white Durango. At the time of the crash, the police officers did not activate their lights or police sirens. The officers were not engaging in a high-speed chase at the time of the crash.
The investigation into the crash is still ongoing. It was revealed that the officers may have been responding to a “Be on the lookout call” for a stolen Jeep Grand Cherokee. The officers were allegedly told there were stolen handguns in the stolen Jeep. Neither Hayden and Pettis nor their Dodge Durango were the subject of any police activity.
Harrington shared during a press conference, "This was reckless, this was senseless, and these men should be here with their families."
Warren Police also shared that “at no time were these officers engaged in a pursuit of the white Dodge Durango or any other vehicle when the crash occurred.” The police department adds, "We want to know lots of things, and one of the things we have done to ensure impartiality for transparency is call the Macomb County Sheriff's Department to do an independent investigation. We owe that to everybody here to make sure that the right information is obtained," said a representative of the department.
The Macomb County Sheriff's Office says it expects to share the results of its investigation in the coming weeks.
In response to the lawsuit, the Warren Police Department released the following statement on Monday, “While we know this is a hard time for the families of the deceased, and we all would like answers to many important questions, the only proper source for answers is the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office who is conducting an independent investigation into this unfortunate incident.”
The statement goes on, “The Warren Police Department has been fully cooperative with the Sheriff’s Office during their investigation into this incident. Careful investigation of all of the facts is necessary to ensure unbiased and accurate conclusions are drawn.” Both officers have been placed on administrative leave.
