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Innocent bystanders injured in Warren pursuit of suspect
The failed traffic stop and subsequent chase that landed Willie Lee Allen behind bars — also sent a father and son to the hospital.
FOX 2 (WJBK) - UPDATE 9 p.m. Thursday: Elijah Hall has apologized for accusing the Warren police of causing his crash by ramming a suspect into him.
Warren police released dashcam video of the pursuit clearly showing the fleeing suspect hit Hall's car with the police cruiser not ramming either vehicle.
"I just saw the dash cam footage and can clearly see the police did not hit the vehicle as me and my son thought happened. With it happening so fast I thought I saw correctly. I clearly didn't. Now I owe the Warren police department an apology. Thought my perception was cloudy, I'm still man enough to say I was wrong in that."
The original story that aired Wednesday night is below:
Two innocent bystanders were injured after a Warren suspect crashed into their vehicle after police chase - and they say it should have never happened.
The failed traffic stop and subsequent chase that landed Willie Lee Allen behind bars — also sent a father and son to the hospital. Allen, a convicted felon out on bond, exchanged gunfire with a police officer after fleeing the crash scene on foot, before being arrested.
"I’m still having pains in my back, not so much on my left side because I can’t really feel anything on my left side," said Elijah Hall. "I’m sore still around my hips."
Elijah Hall’s car was wrecked as Warren police pursued Allen Monday. He says officers struck Allen’s car, which crashed into his sedan, sending it into a pole.
Hall's 13-year-old son was in the back seat.
"Everything kinda slowed down and I’m just looking like, I’m watching myself go into the pole," Hall said. "In my head I’m thinking about my son. I’m thinking like, ‘Man I don’t want to go out like this.’"
Hall says medics rushed him to a hospital, his son arrived afterwards. Then came detectives.
"I was really upset because they were coming to ask me, 'Did I see what was going on? Did I see the suspects?' I'm like 'Did you see my car? Did you see me?'" Hall said. "I was laying on the ground. I didn't see none of that.
"They really wasn’t even concerned about me and my son crashing into this pole. Thank God that we're still alive, because it could have been worse."
Warren Police Commissioner Bill Dwyer says none of his officers were involved in the crash, and that their policies forbid the ramming of vehicles. Dwyer says it was Allen alone who crashed into Hall’s car.
"That’s not true," Hall said. "I watched them hit the side of his car and push him into me. And even in the pictures, you can see where they hit his side of the car and where his car was sandwiched into mine."
Hall is well aware none of this would’ve happened if Allen, who’s now facing several felony charges and is locked up on a million dollar bond, had not fled from police in the first place.
"You got people out here driving with their families, their babies and if you know they you’re out here doing wrong, be able to man up and accept your consequences, what you running for?" Hall said. "Now you’re endangering other people’s lives when everything is on you."
Willie Lee Allen
The crash is taking a toll on the hall family. Elijah, the main breadwinner, is missing work because of his injuries and their only car is practically totaled.
"At the moment we don’t have a means of transportation, that was our family car," his wife said. "Financially we’re taking a big hit."
Hall has been in contact with a law firm and is considering taking legal action.
His family has set up a GoFundMe for donations to support Hall as he recovers from his injuries.