Two Dead, Warren Police Officers Critically Injured Following Collision on Schoenherr Road

Early this morning brought devastation to a Warren neighborhood as a traffic accident involving a Warren police cruiser and a white Dodge Durango resulted in two fatalities and critical injuries to two police officers. The incident occurred around 5 a.m. near the intersection of Schoenherr Road and Eight Mile Road, according to reports from FOX 2 Detroit.

The collision's impact left the police vehicle severely damaged, and the Durango turned on its side. One officer required extrication from the patrol car by emergency personnel, Lieutenant John Gajewski of the Warren Police Department stated that, "This was not a vehicle pursuit, we are confident of that," in a statement obtained by FOX 2 Detroit. The crash did not stem from a police chase, as was speculated by relatives of one of the deceased victims. Gajewski emphasized, "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."

In a separate incident captured in the aftermath of the crash, a police chase related to an ATM theft occurred approximately two hours later and was unrelated to the fatal accident. CBS Detroit reported that the ATM theft led to a pursuit around 7:30 a.m. involving a black SUV connected with a tri-county string of ATM thefts.

Meanwhile, family members have voiced heartbreak over the loss of their loved ones, "He was a sweetheart. He was quiet. He never did anything to anyone. He had two children and he was a real good father," Yvonne Washington, the grandmother of Cedric Heyden one of the victims killed in the crash, told FOX 2. The names of the officers and the occupants of the Durango have not been released as the investigation continues. Authorities have closed down Schoenherr Road for an indeterminate time to aid the investigative process, noted Audacy.

As the Macomb County Sheriff's Office takes over the investigation, more details are expected to emerge. The Warren Police Department has stepped back from the case, in the interests of maintaining objectivity in the uncovering of how such a tragic event unfolded.