Michigan man accused of intentional hit-and-runs of three women; 2 killed

A Garden City man has been charged in three different intentional hit-and-runs of women, two of which resulted in deaths, and is suspected in two other similar crimes, according to a police source.

Lawrence Mills, III, 32, was charged this week with a non-fatal hit-and-run that happened in 2017, the third charge filed against him in the past few weeks. 

Lawrence Mills, III, has been charged in three different hit-and-run, two of which were fatal.

According to prosecutor Kym Worthy, Mills was arrested in late April 2020 after several years of investigation into the crimes.

The first fatal hit-and-run Mills is accused of happened on October 16, 2017, near Casper and Cypress Streets in Detroit. Around 3 a.m., police were dispatched and met medics at the scene where the 34-year-old woman's lifeless body was found on the sidewalk on Cypress Street. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The next crime Mills is accused of happened on December 13, 2017. That morning, around 2:15, police were called to Anthon and Campbell Streets and again found a 59-year-old woman's lifeless body between the street and the sidewalk. She was pronounced dead at the scene. 

Just a few days later in 2017, December 22, police again were called to a home on Campbell street where a 29-year-old woman had been assaulted and then hit several times with a car before the suspect drove away. The woman, who was pregnant at the time, was able to call the police from the scene and survived. 

After more than two years of investigation, Mills was arrested on April 24, 2020, and was first charged with first-degree murder in the Anthon fatal hit-and-run. He was charged a few days later with the Cypress street hit-and-run, and this week, he was charged with the Campbell street hit-and-run.

For that crime, Mills was charged with assault with intent to murder and knowingly assault/assault and battery of a pregnant individual.

"The alleged conduct of Mr. Mills is deeply concerning.  I applaud the Detroit Police Department investigators for the excellent work and for staying the course on these 2017 cases," Worthy said.

However, those may not be the only crimes connected to Mills. FOX 2 has learned that police are investigating a pattern and believe Mills could be responsible for at least two other hit-and-runs with similar MOs, including a fatal one that happened on June 9, 2018, and a non-fatal incident on March 17, 2017. Mills has not been charged in those crimes. 

He was expected to be arraigned on Thursday but it was pushed back to Friday, May 15.