Alex Habib and his family (GoFundMe)
WARREN, Mich. (FOX 2) - The Macomb County Prosecutor has announced a 16-year-old from Detroit is being charged as an adult for the crash that killed an innocent Uber driver over the weekend.
Prosecutor Peter Lucido announced the charging decision on Wednesday for the Saturday crash that killed Alex Habib.
The 16-year-old driver is accused of stealing a car and then leading Warren police on a chase.
Around 3 a.m. on Saturday, Habib was in his when he was hit at 11 Mile and Van Dyke. He was the only person in the vehicle, but was driving for Uber at the time.
In a press release from Lucido, Clinton Township police said they were called to an apartment complex and found the car driving slow without headlights on. When police tried to pull the car over, the driver sped off.
The prosecutor's office said the 16-year-old then led police on a chase through multiple cities, that eventually ended at 11 Mile and Van Dyke when he hit Habib's car, killing the husband and father of two young children.
"This is a deeply troubling case. The decision to charge a juvenile as an adult is never made lightly. In this matter, we proceeded with careful and thorough consideration of how to best uphold fairness and justice. We are dealing with a serious allegation involving a minor whose actions are believed to have caused the death of an innocent man, a man who was simply driving to support his family," Lucido said in a statement. "Actions have consequences, and while youth is a factor, it does not erase accountability. Our role is to seek justice, and in this case, that means proceeding with the full weight of the law."
UPDATE: Teen in stolen car causes fatal crash while fleeing police
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Uber driver hit, killed by police chase
A man who was driving for Uber early Saturday morning is dead after a police chase ended with him being hit. Alex Habib wasn't involved in the chase that began in Roseville and ended in Warren.
Habib was working tha t night as an Uber driver, but also was a server at Jim Brady's in Royal Oak, where owner Tom Brady described him as being someone who brightened the mood.
"We've got a tight team. When you do restaurants the right way, they're families," he said. "He's just one of those guys, when he's in the building, he just brought everybody up a couple of clicks."
Brady said he plans to organize a fundraiser to support Habib's family. In the meantime, you can help by donating to a GoFundMe set up for the family.
What's next:
The teenager, who was not identified, will be arraigned on Thursday, July 17 at 10 a.m.
The Source: The Macomb County Prosecutor provided details of the charges. Previous information from FOX 2 reports was used in this story.