Chase renews push for tougher fleeing and eluding punishments in Wyandotte

Added: 2026-05-07

[00:00:00]A police chase in we dot and now new calls for tougher penalties for those who run from the cops. Local law enforcement says lawmakers need to act before someone gets killed.

[00:00:11]>> People will die while we're waiting for this bill to pass. This bill will save lives and it's going to save hundreds if not thousands of lives over time.

[00:00:18]>> But one critic says harsher punishments could backfire.

[00:00:22]>> Thanks for joining us at 11. I'm Ty Steel.

[00:00:24]>> I'm Kimberly Gil. We first showed you this chase last night. Wand up. Police say they stopped the driver using a device called a grappler.

[00:00:31]>> And police say the suspect had gotten away from police twice that same day.

[00:00:36]And that's exactly why they want harsher penalties for those who choose to run from police, putting law enforcement and the public at risk. Down river community correspondent Noel Fel spoke to Wot's police chief and one critic who says harsher penalties aren't the answer.

[00:00:50]Noel, the debate continues here.

[00:00:53]>> Yeah, that's right. This bill already passed through the state house of representatives last year, and now it's stalled in the Senate. Advocates for the bill say it would dramatically cut down on dangerous police chases, but some lawmakers say they're opposed to the idea of mandatory minimum sentences.

[00:01:10][screaming] On Monday, a high-speed police chase through multiple cities came to an end when Wandot officers used a grappler to stop a fleeing driver. Police say the man behind the wheel had a long criminal history with multiple felony convictions, including armed robbery, killing and torturing animals, and fleeing and eluding. It's something Wandot Police Chief Archie Hamilton says his department is seeing more frequently.

[00:01:36]>> When I was a younger police officer, we would experience perhaps four or five high-speed pursuits in a year. There's weekends we get four five high-speed pursuits now. He says oftenimes suspects flee hoping the risk is worth the reward.

[00:01:51]>> Or let's just say they're drunk. So it's drunk driving. Drunk driving is harsher.

[00:01:57]The penalty is harsher for drunk driving than it is for fleeing a lude. So why not take a chance?

[00:02:02]>> That's why Hamilton advocated for House Bill 4690. It would require mandatory jail time for fleeing and eluding. State Representative Riley Linting created the bill, which uses a tier system to determine minimum sentences. It ranges from a fourth degree, which is just simply uh disregarding law enforcement and fleeing, to a first degree, which includes um someone being injured or killed in the accident.

[00:02:26]>> Under the bill, fourthderee fleeing and delooting would carry a minimum sentence of 30 days in jail. That would increase to one year in jail for third degree, two years for second degree, and a minimum of 5 years for first degree. But the bill has also drawn criticism from some lawmakers. State Representative Donovan McKini said he believes the bill would have unintended consequences, telling Local 4 in part, quote, "Data has proven that mandatory minimums have long been shown to undermine judicial discretion and lead to unjust outcomes.

[00:02:57]This package reinforces the harmful belief that harsher penalties are the only path to accountability." Advocates for the bill say it has one goal, to protect innocent lives.

[00:03:08]>> There's no associated jail time or no real consequence beyond that. Uh there's really nothing holding these people accountable and keeping them off the streets and putting people's lives in danger.

[00:03:20]And in order to become law, the bill would first need to pass through the state senate and then head to the governor for a signature. We're live tonight, Noel Fel, Local 4. Okay, Noel, thank