Macomb County Executive Hackel catches drunk driver
You can take the man out of the sheriff's office but you can't take the sheriff's office out of the man.
Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel, the county's former top cop is getting back to his roots after helping to chase down an alleged drunk driver.
It was Tuesday evening and Hackel was driving down 24 Mile Road to buy Slurpees for his niece and nephew, when he sees a pick-up truck swerving.
Hackel says he follows the vehicle and then he sees the driver.
"He slams into the back end of a minivan and keeps on going," Hackel said.
Hackel, who was the former Sheriff of Macomb County, says he stopped a phone conversation with his dad and called 911.
He didn't stop there and continued to follow the driver until the vehicle came to a stop near 25 Mile and Foss Road
"I pulled up behind him, I was still talking to the dispatcher making sure the cars know where to come to find this guy," Hackel said.
And that's when the suspect started pleading to Hackel
"For some reason he happened to know who I was and appealed to me in this conversation," Hackel said. "He wanted to know if there was a way I could help him and I obviously declined that."
Soon deputies arrived to the scene and arrested 41-year old Vito Salvatore Agrusa of Shelby Township. He was charged with OWI and leaving the scene of an accident.
Officials say there were three people inside the vehicle Agrusa hit. Two were injured and the third was not.
"You could tell he was intoxicated my estimation was over a .20 and he was a .25 in the end," Hackel said.
But what if an ordinary citizen who doesn't have a law enforcement background finds himself in a situation like Mark Hackel?
"People need to be cautious don't turn a blind eye to it, try to get a license plate number," he said. "If you can get a license plate pass it on do so."
In the end Hackel was able get a drunk driver off the road and went back to 711.
"When I got done I ended up going back to the 711 and made good on the promise to niece and nephew."