Drunk driver reached 105 mph on Telegraph before crashing

A suspected drunk driver crashes in Taylor after leading police on chase

Take a look at the aftermath of one of those reckless, speeding drivers who causing a crash in Taylor overnight Tuesday.

DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. (FOX 2) - A pursuing Dearborn Heights police officer was about to call off their pursuit of a drunk driver when the speeding truck ran a red light and was T-boned.

It sent debris into a nearby parking lot on Telegraph and created a mess for police and fire teams who needed to extricate the suspect driver from his vehicle.

He reached speeds of 105 mph before crashing, police said.

"Initially (we) clocked him at 20 over, give or take, and as we tried to effect a stop the individual made the decision for him to flee from us," said Paul Vanderplow with the Dearborn Heights Police department.

The chase lasted about five minutes on Telegraph early Tuesday morning.

It was around that time when the chasing officer had decided to end pursuit. The feeling truck then crashed into an innocent driver who had the right of way at Northline Road.

"This was not a bumper-to-bumper chase. The individual was up ahead of us quite a way," Vanderplow said. "The individual blew several lights going southbound on Telegraph and unfortunately blew through one light and made contact with an uninvolved citizen."

The innocent driver escaped with minor scratches while the suspect needed medical attention.

Police often get caught making judgment calls about how far they should pursue a fleeing driver due to the danger it poses to the public. However, Dearborn Heights police are sticking by their officer's decision.

"We're caught between a rock and a hard place here. These individuals who are causing chaos in our communities, they're speeding, they're causing accidents - we have to put a stop to that," said Vanderplow.