Man charged with crashing into Roseville cop cars drunk had suspended license

ROSEVILLE, Mich. (WJBK) - A Roseville police dash cam captured the moment a Saturn Vue crashes into it and a second cruiser.

The man behind the wheel of that SUV is behind bars. Brandon Donelson, 26, was arraigned Thursday charged with unlawful use of motor vehicle, operating while intoxicated and operating with a suspended or revoked license.

Police say the vehicle belonged to Donelson's girlfriend. 

"He didn't have permission to have that vehicle," said Roseville Police Chief James Berlin. "And he's suspended so he wasn't supposed to be driving and he was drinking so he just kind of had a trifecta here.

"Of course any drunk driver is a danger and this just kind of personifies that when you strike two cars that are lit up like Christmas trees." 

The crash happened near 12 Mile and Gratiot last Thursday. Police say Donelson was traveling southbound on Gratiot when he lost control of his girlfriend's SUV hit the center median and then struck the two squad cars.

The officers inside suffered minor injuries. The crash put both police cruisers out of service and Chief Berlin says one of them had barely been on the road.

"The one vehicle was brand new and only had a thousand miles on it when it was struck and it's totaled," he said. "So the city is out of the cost of that vehicle and the equipment in it so it's kind of a blow to our budget."

And if the suspect wants to get out of jail it'll be a blow to his budget. He's locked up on a $30,000 cash surety bond and due back in court in a couple weeks.