Severe weather aftermath • Truck with children inside plunges into lagoon • Jaylin Brazier's trial continues

WEDNESDAY NEWS HIT - Powerful thunderstorms on Tuesday night toppled trees in Metro Detroit.

Harvard Shore Drive in St. Clair Shores was hit particularly hard. Residents said the storm that moved through the area was quick, lasting only a few minutes, but powerful.

"It was pretty wild. It was raining really hard and the rain was picking up, and heard a long bang, and I thought it ws thunder. It happened to be the tree," resident Ron Pleva said. "It had to be a hellacious wind because that tree is pretty old."

Pleva said the large tree that was toppled was around 60 years old.

Other areas where large trees were ripped out of the ground include Clinton Township and Harrison Township.

Suspected tornadoes cause mess in Southwest Michigan

While the storms that hit Metro Detroit were strong and damaging, suspected tornadoes caused extensive damage in the southwest part of the state.

Buildings in the Kalamazoo area, including a FedEx facility in Portage and houses in a mobile home park in Pavillion Township, were heavily damaged, and in some cases destroyed.

According to the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office, about 176 homes in the Pavilion Estates mobile home park were damaged, and 15-17 were destroyed. Late Tuesday, he said 16-20 people were hurt, though the injuries do not appear to be serious.

Officials are still assessing the damage and the National Weather Service will determine if the storms were in fact tornadoes. In the meantime, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a State of Emergency for Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, Branch, and Cass counties overnight.

Drunk driving suspected after trunk plunges into lagoon

Authorities believe a woman was drunk when she plunged her truck into a lagoon while she had three children with her.

The crash happened Sunday in the area of area of Superior Street and North Street in Frenchtown Township, and it was caught on camera. Security video showed the pickup truck careening into the water, taking out a chunk of berm along the way.

"It sounded like it was my truck or my neighbor across the street’s house, that’s what it sounded like," witness Bobbi, said.

Those nearby heard the commotion and rushed over to see what happened.

"The driver was an adult. Her daughter and her daughter’s two friends (were in the truck)," Bobbi said. "I want to say the age range was about 13-16."

She and other neighbors helped rescue two of the girls in the back of the truck, which was stuck in mud.

"They were awake and they were banged up. Face was banged up. They had some cuts and all that, and the one girl was unconscious, and I believe the driver was awake as well," Bobbi said.

Jaylin Brazier's trial continues

Five witnesses took the stand Tuesday in the murder trial against Jaylin Brazier, who is accused of killing his cousin Zion Foster in 2022, and the trial continues today.

Brazier previously told police that Foster died while he was with her, and he threw her body in a dumpster. He says he did not kill her, though.

He was originally charged and convicted of lying to police. While serving a sentence for that crime, he was charged with murder. Foster's body has never been found.

Witnesses who testified Tuesday included Foster's mother, a former Detroit police officer, and the mother of Brazier's children.

Fox Theatre balcony is supposed to bend, officials say

After a video of the balcony at the Fox Theatre bending during a Gunna concert led to safety concerns on social media, officials said it works exactly how it is supposed to.

According to a statement from Ilitch Sports + Entertainment, the flexing "is common and expected." This is part of the structural engineering, which allows the balcony to support the weight of people moving and dancing.

The venue was inspected in April, not long before the video was taken.

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Daily Forecast

Today will be dry and warm, but that changes tomorrow when temps dip and rain returns.

What else we're watching

1. Police are using a fatal motorcycle crash to urge drivers to be careful. Police say the 19-year-old was speeding on I-94 when he lost control and crashed.
2. A suspect is wanted after shooting at someone during a road rage incident April 28 on Metropolitan Parkway west of Van Dyke.
3. Two puppies are safe after a man was seen on camera tossing them over a high fence at a Detroit animal clinic over the weekend, while the business was closed.
4. After seven years in downtown Ypsilanti, metaphysical store Evenstar’s Chalice is closing.
5. A concert with "iconic Detroit artists," a 10-day open house, and tours of the famous Motor City landmark will all be on display for the long-anticipated Michigan Central Station opening.

Judge postpones Trump's classified documents case indefinitely

Former President Donald Trump’s classified records trial stemming from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation was postponed indefinitely on Tuesday.

The trial was set to begin on May 20, but U.S. district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida Aileen Cannon postponed it, citing unresolved issues in the case, the sensitive nature of the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA), as well as the fact that some of Trump's attorneys are currently defending him in the New York hush money case.

"Finalization of a trial date at this juncture…would be imprudent and inconsistent with the Court’s duty to fully and fairly consider the various pending pre-trial motions before the Court, critical CIPA issues, and additional pretrial and trial preparations necessary to present this case to a jury," she wrote.