Michigan man charged with killing mother of two during police chase in Warren

WARREN, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) – A Pontiac man is accused of killing the mother of two children during a police chase in Warren.

James Hudson, 26, is accused of first-degree murder, multiple counts of fleeing and eluding, and reckless driving.

Shortly after 1:30 a.m. Saturday, Warren Police observed three Dodge Chargers speeding down Eight Mile Road near Ryan Road at speeds well over 100 miles per hour.

“It’s basically a 5,000-pound bullet racing down Eight Mile,” said Charles Rushton, Warren’s acting police chief.

When officers attempted to stop them, one driver stopped, but two others, including Hudson, did not.

“When we make those decisions about whether or not to pursue, we have to consider those things. One of the things we consider is, are these people likely to slow down? Get out of the car? Are they going to continue to drive recklessly? In this case, I think it was pretty obvious that they were driving recklessly before we encountered them, and they were likely to continue to drive recklessly,” Rushton said.

About three minutes into the chase, Hudson collided with a Jeep near the intersection of 10 Mile and Dequindre Road, according to police.

The violent impact killed the Jeep’s passenger, 42-year-old Katrina Michael, who worked as a receptionist for Samaritas in Troy to care for her two children.

The nonprofit donated $10,000 to a GoFundMe campaign to cover funeral expenses.

This is the third fatal car chase in the city of Warren this year.

While officers used remote control sticks during Saturday’s chase, CBS News Detroit asked if the department had considered investing in other tools, such as the StarChase system, which shoots a GPS tracker at a suspect’s vehicle, or the Grappler, which lassoes a suspect’s tires.

Rushton said the department looked into those options but did not believe it would have made a difference on Saturday.

“At this point, my feeling is that this increases the danger, increases the likelihood of a collision and it would be an unplanned collision between a police car and a suspect,” Rushton said.

In that case, the suspect remains behind bars on $1 million cash bail following his arraignment on Tuesday, where he pleaded not guilty.

“It’s a damn shame that we have to lose lives, that we have to lose limbs, over something that is so senseless compared to what this vehicle is supposed to be used for,” said Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido.