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1 dead, others injured after high-speed police chase in Hamtramck

Crash following pursuit
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(WXYZ) — An innocent man is dead and others including officers were injured following a high-speed police chase in Hamtramck.

It happened Thursday afternoon at the intersection of McNichols and Conant.

Investigators are continuing to process the scene.

Hamtramck's police chief says it started as a traffic stop before suspects in a white SUV started a scuffle with officers, pushing and scratching them.

Officers say they didn't want to use deadly force. Suspects then reportedly took off in their vehicle and were chased for three to four blocks, going at a high rate of speed and ultimately blowing the light at the intersection, and crashing into other vehicles.

"It could have been anybody. Ya know, it could have been an officer. Just driving by and unfortunately, these people didn't want to comply with officers. On top of that, they drove here in high speeds, blew through red light, literally crashed through multiple cars here. Tragic scene," said Hamtramck Police Department Chief Jamiel Altaheri.

The crash happened in Detroit's jurisdiction, so DPD is investigating. Michigan State Police is also assisting.

The chief told me the suspects are in the hospital as well as the officers and three others who were in other vehicles.

I was approached by a couple of community activists at the scene, who expressed a few concerns, including a high-speed pursuit taking place in a dense area and the length of time it took for an ambulance to arrive.