Cop saves woman from fire • Family of man shot by police sues for $100M • Driver describes Telegraph pileup
Dramatic rescue of driver from burning truck by Fraser police caught on video
Harrowing dash cam video showed the dramatic moments of a pickup truck ablaze and the driver disoriented inside.
WEDNESDAY NEWS HIT - A Fraser officer's quick actions saved a woman from a burning pickup truck over the weekend.
Video from his vehicle's dashcam shows Officer Cameron Rieper reaching into the burning truck and grabbing the woman. She grabbed the steering wheel at first as he worked to free her from the flames.
Rieper, the first officer on the scene, used to be a firefighter, and those instincts kicked in.
"She appeared confused, wasn’t really answering questions. She was still inside the vehicle, so I opened the door, took her safety belt off and tried to get her out of the car," Rieper said.
The woman is now recovering at the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
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Fraser officer pulls woman from burning pickup truck
For every second the rescue attempt went on, the fire grew larger.
Family of man killed by Lansing police sues for $100M
After a police shooting earlier this month, the family of the man killed is suing Lansing police for $100 million.
Lansing police said they were called to the 1600 block of Massachusetts Avenue on reports of a domestic violence situation between Stephen Romero and his wife on the night of Dec. 1.
Police shared dispatch audio of 911 calls received that night, including one where Romero's wife said she had been slapped by her husband, who was "really drunk" and "was getting violent." She also told the dispatcher that Romero had a gun.
Another caller said they heard a gunshot, while Romero's stepchild called 911 and said he fired a gun to scare his wife.
Police also shared body cam footage of two officers approaching Romero, who is holding his hands toward an officer who yells "show me your hands." He has what appears to be two cell phones that he sets on the ground.
Officers order Romero to the ground, and he gets down on his knees. He then lifts his shirt, showing a handgun on his waistband. The video stops as Romero puts his hand near his waist before being shot.
"Mr. Romero was wrongfully killed by a police firing squad and the Romero family needs answers and justice," said James Harrington, vice president and managing partner of Fieger Law. "Mr. Romero was complying with every single officer command and rather than de-escalating the situation, the officers chose to kill a man in front of his family. The police violence must end."
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$100 million lawsuit filed by family of man fatally shot by Lansing police
The family of Stephen Romero, who was shot and killed by Lansing police earlier this month, is suing for $100 million.
Driver describes being involved in massive Telegraph pileup
Dozens of people were involved in a massive pileup on Telegraph in Redford on Monday, including Bianca Barber and her daughter Harmony.
Barber was taking Harmony to get dinner after dance class when she ended up in the pileup that ended up being 20-40 vehicles. By the time she saw five to six cars already piled up, it was too late.
"Once I tried to tap my brake, my car started sliding," Barber said. "There was literally nowhere to go. Only thing to do was crash."
Soon after, Barber and her daughter kept hearing car after car piling up, pinning them in.
"I just kept trying to, as much as I could, protect my daughter, keep her safe and close to me no matter what," Barber said.
Harmony suffered a small cut to her head.
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'Nowhere to go': Drivers suffer minor injuries during Telegraph pile-up in Redford Township
Bianca Barber's 4-year-old daughter suffered a small cut on her head during the multi-vehicle pile-up on Telegraph Road Monday night.
Supreme Court's ruling in 1999 sex abuse case could set legal precedent
The Michigan Supreme Court is set to review a sexual abuse case from 1999, under a new statute of limitation that takes into consideration the childhood trauma of survivors who were minors at the time of the abuse.
The court's decision has the potential to establish a legal precedent for future sexual assault cases in Michigan.
In June 2018, Michigan's statute of limitations in sexual assault cases was extended to 15 years in criminal cases, and 10 years in civil cases. Prior, the state only allowed for sexual assault civil suits to be filed within three years of the first assault – otherwise, they’d be dismissed.
Brian McLain is bringing the case to the Supreme Court after the Michigan Appeals Court ruled that the statute of limitations for him to report sex abuse by a priest in 1999 had passed. The court will decide if the new statute of limitations applies in this case.
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Michigan Supreme Court's ruling in 1999 sex abuse case could set legal precedent
The McLain v. Lobert lawsuit, filed in 2021, accuses a Michigan priest of sexually abusing a minor during confession in 1999.
Charlie LeDuff charged with domestic violence
Detroit journalist Charlie LeDuff is accused of domestic violence against his wife.
The writer and previous on-air reporter was arrested Monday night at his home in Pleasant Ridge and charged Tuesday with domestic violence. He was released on a $5,000 personal recognizance bond and ordered to have no contact with his wife.
His attorney, Todd Perkins, released a statement about the arrest:
"Charlie is a man who loves his family. He would like to keep this matter private, but the existing charges against him likely won't allow him to do that. He will do the best he can to keep it private as it moves through the courts. They're unable to comment further on the legal matter and are yet to have a conversation with law enforcement regarding the allegations."
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Detroit journalist Charlie LeDuff charged with domestic violence
Charlie LeDuff was arrested Monday evening on domestic violence charges and appeared. He was released on a $5,000 personal bond and ordered to have no contact with his wife.
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Daily Forecast
The wind is starting to die down as slightly warmer temperatures move in for the end of the week and holiday weekend.
What else we're watching
- One person is dead after a shooting early Wednesday on Detroit's east side. The victim who was killed and another victim were both shot in the 14900 block of Lappin near 7 Mile and Gratiot just after 12:20 a.m.
- A 29-year-old Detroit police officer has been charged with manslaughter after he allegedly punched a 71-year-old man in the face, causing him to hit his head on the pavement and later die.
- Last month, two batches of hatching eggs were taken from separate passengers arriving at Detroit Metro Airport from overseas. Though not brought to the U.S. with malicious intent, these eggs could spread deadly diseases.
- Michigan's minimum wage will rise 23 cents next year. The state's minimum hourly wage stands at $10.10 this year and will rise to $10.33 per hour starting Jan. 1, 2024.
- AAA will again offer Tow To Go this holiday season. From Friday night until Tuesday morning, call 855-286-9246 to get a free ride if you've been drinking.
Most in US will experience Christmas without snow this year
Hopes and dreams of a white Christmas are fading fast.
The FOX Forecast Center said computer forecast models show no major snowstorms in the final days before Christmas. As of Tuesday, only 16.9% of the U.S. is covered in snow.
"Look at the Christmas forecast on Monday itself, and it actually looks pretty active on Christmas Day for the Central Plains down to the Southeast," FOX Weather Meteorologist Amy Freeze said. "We could still have residual impacts as people try to go home from Christmas."
The official definition of a white Christmas from the National Weather Service is at least 1 inch of snow on the ground measured at 7 a.m. Christmas morning or falling snow that accumulates to at least 0.1 inches on Dec. 25. For most Americans, they'll have to watch their favorite holiday movie to see snow this year, according to the FOX Forecast Center.