WARREN, Mich. – A suspected drunk driver tried to run from the Warren police, and after he crashed his car, he attempted to use his own child as a shield.
“Most of us in this department are parents,” Lt. John Gajewski, the department’s information officer, said Thursday. “Don’t put your child in that position.”
The body cam footage, which the department released on Thursday morning, shows the arrest from Tuesday night as the man -- identified as 31-year-old Otez Coil of Ferndale -- attempts to escape after crashing his SUV near the entrance to I-696 at 11 Mile Road and Van Dyke.
It all started just after 9:25 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 16, when police spotted a white Jeep Grand Cherokee driving erratically on Van Dyke and Civic Center Boulevard.
When officers attempted the traffic stop, Coil -- who was previously convicted of fleeing from police in 2022 -- took off heading south on Van Dyke, reaching speeds of nearly 80 mph.
The chase ends quickly, within four minutes, as he tries to turn right at 11 and Van Dyke, near the freeway on-ramp. The SUV skids and crashes into the barricade as the officers quickly close in.
With the officer’s gun drawn, Coil exits the vehicle holding the boy and attempts to claim that he and the child were sitting in the back seat as passengers, all while the child is screaming.
“Put the kid down!” the officer yells repeatedly.
“We’re in the back seat! We’re in the back seat!!!” Coil responds before being taken to the ground by the officers.
“It’s just a sad and disappointing situation for any parent to put the child in,” Gajewski said.
Coil was arraigned and charged on Wednesday with fleeing & eluding --which is a felony -- along with driving while intoxicated, fourth-degree child abuse, and driving with a suspended license. Bond was set at $50,000 cash.
Officers were able to get the child to safety, and he was not injured in the crash.
Coil is due back in court for a probable cause hearing on Jan. 6.
If convicted on the fleeing & eluding charge, he could face up to 10 years in prison.