Late Sunday in Pontiac, a 60-year-old man was left dead in the street after deputies say two different vehicles struck him and then took off, turning a busy intersection into the scene of a fatal hit-and-run.
Oakland County deputies responded shortly after 11:30 p.m. to the area of Featherstone and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. They found the man lying in the middle of Cameron Avenue just north of Featherstone, and authorities say he was already dead when they arrived. Neither driver stopped to help, according to investigators.
According to WXYZ, investigators say an SUV first hit the pedestrian and pulled to the side without reporting the crash. A second SUV then struck him and continued eastbound. “It is hard to fathom that a person would strike another human being with a car and drive off, leaving them to die,” Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. He added that the sheriff’s office would welcome tips and said a reward is possible if information leads to an arrest.
The fatality is the latest in a string of hit-and-run crashes that have rattled residents and families in Pontiac. As ClickOnDetroit reported, relatives of earlier victims have repeatedly pressed investigators for answers and the sheriff’s office has faced public pressure over unresolved cases.
Where deputies say it happened
Deputies say the collision occurred just after 11:30 p.m. on Featherstone at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, with emergency crews locating the body on Cameron Avenue north of Featherstone. That stretch of road is within an area deputies have monitored after multiple recent pedestrian crashes, according to WXYZ.
How investigators are asking for help
Oakland County deputies are asking anyone with information to contact the sheriff’s office. Non-emergency dispatch can be reached at 248-858-4950 and the agency’s general line is 248-858-5000, per the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office website. Tips and digital evidence can also be emailed to [email protected], and investigators say a reward may be offered for information that leads to an arrest.
Possible charges under state law
Leaving the scene of an accident that causes serious injury or death can be a felony in Michigan. Under state law, drivers who fail to stop after an accident that results in serious impairment or death may face felony charges punishable by up to five years in prison, and other subsections allow stiffer penalties when the driver is at fault and a death results, according to the Michigan Legislature.
