Detroit Police Officer Arrested for OWI and Hit-and-Run After Striking 17-Year-Old Driver in Sterling Heights
Detroit Police Officer Arrested for OWI, Hit-and-Run in Sterling Heights
Michigan Legal Center News Desk | April 13, 2026 | Sterling Heights, Macomb County
Source: WXYZ Channel 7 Detroit, reporter Kellen Voss, published April 12, 2026
| QUICK ANSWER: What Happened at Metropolitan Parkway and Van Dyke in Sterling Heights | |
|---|---|
| When and where | Late Friday night, April 11, 2026, at the intersection of Metropolitan Parkway and Van Dyke Avenue in Sterling Heights, Macomb County. |
| What happened | A 17-year-old driver was traveling eastbound on Metropolitan Parkway through a green light when a blue Camry ran the intersection and struck the teen's vehicle. The impact caused the 17-year-old's car to hit a fire hydrant. The Camry driver then fled the scene. |
| The driver identified | Sterling Heights police traced the Camry's license plate to a Sterling Heights residence. The driver was identified as a Detroit Police Department officer. She was arrested on suspicion of Operating While Impaired and lodged in the Macomb County Jail. |
| DPD response | The Detroit Police Department placed the officer on administrative duty. DPD Internal Affairs is conducting an administrative investigation. DPD stated: "That type of conduct is not in line with our core values. We will ensure the officer is held accountable." |
| Injuries | No injuries were reported by Sterling Heights police at the time of publication. The investigation is ongoing. |
| Charges reported | Operating While Impaired (OWI) under MCL 257.625. Leaving the scene of a property damage accident under MCL 257.618 is also potentially applicable given the hit-and-run. No formal charges had been announced at time of publication. |
| Legal rights of the 17-year-old | The teen driver has no-fault PIP benefit rights and a strong third-party negligence claim against the officer. Running a red light while impaired and then fleeing the scene creates compounding liability. The fact that the at-fault driver is a law enforcement officer does not reduce those rights. |
| Contact | The Michigan Legal Center, Law Offices of Christopher Trainor & Associates: (248) 886-8650 |
A Detroit Police Department officer is facing criminal charges and an internal investigation after she allegedly ran a red light while impaired, struck a 17-year-old driver in Sterling Heights, and then drove away from the scene.
Sterling Heights police responded to the crash late Friday night, April 11, 2026, at the intersection of Metropolitan Parkway and Van Dyke Avenue. According to investigators, the 17-year-old was heading eastbound on Metropolitan Parkway through a green light when a blue Camry came through the intersection against the signal and hit the teen's vehicle. The force of the impact pushed the 17-year-old's car into a fire hydrant, causing front-end damage.
The driver of the Camry did not stop. She fled.
Sterling Heights police obtained the Camry's license plate and traced it to a Sterling Heights home. The driver they found there was a Detroit Police Department officer. She was arrested on suspicion of Operating While Impaired and booked into the Macomb County Jail.
No injuries were reported at the time of publication. The Detroit Police Department was notified and responded with a statement Sunday.
"That type of conduct is not in line with our core values. Internal Affairs is conducting an administrative investigation, and we will ensure the officer is held accountable." -- Detroit Police Department statement
The officer has been placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of both the criminal case and the internal investigation. Her name has not been publicly released.
Two Crimes, One Night: Understanding What the Officer Is Accused Of
This incident involves two distinct criminal allegations under Michigan law, each with its own set of consequences: operating while impaired and leaving the scene of a crash.
Operating While Impaired: MCL 257.625
Michigan's OWI statute, MCL 257.625, makes it a crime to operate a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or with a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher. A lesser charge of Operating While Visibly Impaired (OWVI) applies when impairment affects the driver's ability to operate normally, even below the .08 threshold.
A first-offense OWI in Michigan carries up to 93 days in jail, fines up to $500, and license sanctions. The charge escalates significantly based on prior convictions, injury to others, or the presence of a minor in the vehicle.
For a law enforcement officer, the standard of conduct is higher, not lower. The argument that police officers deserve special consideration in criminal cases is not supported by Michigan law or by the principles of equal accountability that the public has every right to expect. An officer driving impaired on a public road is subject to the same criminal statutes as every other Michigan driver.
Leaving the Scene: MCL 257.618
Michigan law requires every driver involved in a crash resulting in property damage to stop immediately at or near the scene, provide their name, address, and vehicle registration to the other driver, and in some circumstances, notify law enforcement. Under MCL 257.618, failure to stop after a property damage crash is a misdemeanor.
When a crash results in injury or death, the failure to stop escalates to a felony under MCL 257.617, carrying up to five years in prison. Because no injuries have been officially reported in this crash, the applicable provision at this stage appears to be MCL 257.618. However, if the investigation determines that the 17-year-old suffered injuries, that analysis changes.
Running a red light while impaired and then driving away from the damage you caused is not a momentary lapse in judgment. It is a deliberate choice to evade responsibility. In this case, that choice lasted exactly as long as it took Sterling Heights police to run a license plate.
What the 17-Year-Old Driver's Family Needs to Know
A teenager driving legally through a green light was struck by a car driven by someone who allegedly should not have been behind the wheel and then watched that driver leave. The legal system in Michigan provides real remedies for exactly this situation, and the family should understand them clearly.
No-Fault PIP Benefits: Immediate Coverage Regardless of Fault
Under Michigan's no-fault insurance law, the 17-year-old driver is entitled to Personal Injury Protection benefits from their own auto insurer, or from a parent or household member's policy, to cover medical expenses, wage loss for any student employment, and replacement services. These benefits apply regardless of who caused the crash and regardless of whether the at-fault driver is a police officer, an uninsured driver, or anyone else.
Even where no injuries were officially reported at the scene, that does not mean injuries did not occur. Adrenaline masks pain. Soft tissue injuries, concussions, and spinal injuries often present hours or days after a crash. Any medical treatment sought in the days following the incident should be documented and reported to the insurer promptly. Michigan law requires notice of a PIP claim within one year of the accident, but there is no benefit to waiting.
A Third-Party Negligence Claim Against the Officer
Michigan's no-fault system limits most injury lawsuits, but when a crash causes a "serious impairment of body function" as defined under MCL 500.3135 and interpreted by the Michigan Supreme Court in McCormick v. Carrier, 487 Mich 180 (2010), the injured person can pursue a third-party negligence claim directly against the at-fault driver for pain and suffering and other non-economic damages.
In this case, the at-fault driver is a Detroit police officer. That fact does not grant her immunity from civil liability for harm caused off-duty in a personal vehicle. She is not shielded by governmental immunity in this context. She was operating as a private individual on a public road, and private individuals who drive drunk and flee the scene are civilly liable for the consequences.
Running a red light while impaired is textbook negligence. It is a breach of the duty every driver owes to everyone else on the road. Combining that with a hit-and-run creates a factual record that is as clear as Michigan civil cases get.
Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage
The 17-year-old's family should also review their own UM and UIM coverage. While the officer presumably carries insurance, impaired drivers sometimes allow policies to lapse or carry minimum limits. If the officer's coverage proves inadequate to compensate for the full extent of the damages, the teen's own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage may fill the gap. An attorney can assess both tracks simultaneously.
Officer Accountability: What "Administrative Duty" Means and Why It Matters
DPD's statement placed the officer on "administrative duty," meaning she remains employed with the department while the investigation proceeds, but is removed from active patrol or law enforcement functions. This is standard procedure for officers facing criminal charges or serious misconduct allegations.
The administrative investigation by DPD Internal Affairs and the criminal case in Macomb County proceed simultaneously and independently. A finding of guilt in the criminal case does not automatically result in termination. Termination is governed by DPD's internal disciplinary process and the officer's union contract. Conversely, a dismissal of criminal charges does not end the internal investigation.
What the public, and particularly the 17-year-old driver's family, should understand is this: the internal investigation and the criminal prosecution are accountability mechanisms for the institution. The civil lawsuit is accountability for the individual. These operate on separate tracks, and only one of them directly compensates the person who was harmed.
Michigan's History with Off-Duty Officer Misconduct
This is not the first time a Michigan law enforcement officer has been arrested for OWI or a related offense while off duty. The pattern is documented, and it raises persistent questions about how departments handle accountability when the person in the wrong wears a badge the rest of the time.
What is notable about this incident is the public statement from DPD. Departments do not always issue proactive accountability statements when an officer is arrested off duty. The language, "we will ensure the officer is held accountable," is a commitment that the public and the 17-year-old's family are entitled to hold the department to.
The Civil Rights Dimension: Holding Officers Accountable Is What We Do
The Law Offices of Christopher Trainor and Associates have spent decades holding law enforcement agencies and individual officers accountable for misconduct that harms Michigan residents. Our civil rights practice includes cases against Detroit, Flint, and departments across Southeast Michigan.
This specific incident, an off-duty officer's OWI and hit-and-run, does not arise under the federal civil rights statute, 42 U.S.C. § 1983, because the officer was not acting under color of law at the time. Section 1983 requires state action, and an off-duty officer driving a personal vehicle is, legally speaking, a private individual.
But that does not mean the accountability framework is weaker. It means it runs through Michigan negligence law, which is exactly the framework that has put hundreds of millions of dollars in the hands of people wronged by others in this state. We have $300 million in verdicts and settlements for Michigan clients to show for it.
If the teen driver or their family is looking for guidance on what their legal options look like, Christopher Trainor and his team are available to provide a clear-eyed assessment. No pressure. No fee unless we recover for you.
Call (248) 886-8650 to speak with the Michigan Legal Center today.
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