2 killed, 2 Warren officers critically injured in Schoenherr crash

WARREN, Mich. (FOX 2) - Two people are dead and two Warren police officers were critically hurt after a crash Monday morning.

A patrol vehicle was involved in a crash on Schoenherr just north of Eight Mile around 5 a.m. It isn't clear what led to the crash, but the front of the patrol vehicle was heavily damaged, while a Dodge Durango was flipped on its side and also badly damaged.

Warren Police Lt. John Gajewski said one of the officers was trapped in their patrol vehicle and had to be extricated. 

In video from the scene, the front end of the Warren police car is completely smashed. The Durango was hit on the passenger side and was also severely smashed in.

Police said two officers who were in the patrol vehicle are in critical condition, while two people who were in the Durango were killed. One of the victims was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other was taken to a hospital, where they died. Gajewski said the two officers involved were not chasing any suspects. 

"This was not a vehicle pursuit, we are confident of that," Gajewski said. "Obviously this was a car accident. The officers were clearly driving. As far as what they were doing, where they were going, what they were doing, I don't want to comment on that at all. I don't want to speculate, it's still too early on."

Gajewski said both officers were still in surgery and would not comment if their lights or sirens were on.

Family members in the area told FOX 2 and other news media they believed it was related to a Warren police chase of suspects from an ATM theft at a nearby gas station. During an update at noon on Monday, Gajewski said they were not related and that the gas station robbery happened two hours later.

"I can tell you that there's been information about a break-in or a stolen vehicle and I want to be very, very clear. There was a pursuit related to a break-in that occurred two hours after this unfortunate accident. We know these suspects in the break-in are not related to the accident," Gajewski said.

Yvonne Washington is the grandmother of Cedric Heyden, one of the victims killed in the crash.

"He was a sweetheart. He was quiet. He never did anything to anyone. He had two children and he was a real good father," Washington said.

Warren Police will hand over the investigation to the Macomb County Sheriff's Office.