Five people died when a pickup truck struck a group of bicyclists in Michigan Tuesday. The pickup driver, identified only as a 50-year-old man from western MI, took off on foot after the crash but was taken into custody near the scene, WOOD-TV reports. He was arrested and remains in custody.
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Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeffrey Getting says authorities had been seeking a pickup truck due to reports that it was driving erratically minutes before it struck the riders.
He said that three separate police agencies received phone calls prior to the crash regarding the truck’s erratic driving.
A witness near the scene told WZZM 13’s Phil Dawson the bicyclists are part of a group that goes on weekly rides.
The crash occurred before they found the truck, Getting said; he asserted that there was no pursuit in progress at the time of the crash. Authorities would not release any further information about any of the victims Tuesday night pending the notification of their family members.
Getting said he didn’t expect to review the investigation into the crash until Thursday at the earliest, after which he would determine what, if any, charges were appropriate. The group included men and women. All were adults, who apparently were riding together northbound on North Westnedge Avenue when they were struck from behind. He was unable to warn the bicyclists.
“I’m at a loss to describe the impact to the community from these incidents”, Getting said. According to The New York Times, the incident happened on Tuesday night at around 7 p.m. on a road located around seven miles north of Kalamazoo, Michigan.
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He declined to answer several questions about the suspect and said the man’s name would not be released until his office has had an opportunity to make a determination about charges. He is charged with murder and attempted murder.
