Uber driver killed in Oak Park crash: 19-year-old suspect charged

Published September 21, 2026 10:55 AM EDT

A 19-year-old Detroit man is facing charges after police say he ran a red light and caused a crash that killed an Uber driver last week. 

Detroit man charged

Tracy Darwin Sutton of Detroit was arraigned Sept. 20, 2026, on charges of Operating While Intoxicated Causing Death and Operating While Intoxicated Causing Serious Injury in connection with the Sept. 17 fatal traffic crash at Eight Mile Road and Coo

Tracy Sutton, of Detroit, was arraigned Sunday and charged with: 

  • Operating while intoxicated causing death
  • Operating while intoxicated causing serious injury. 

What they're saying:

Authorities allege Sutton had a blood alcohol content of .161 and was driving on a restricted license. 

READ MORE: Deadly Oak Park Uber crash escalates as 2nd driver rear-ends cruiser on video

Oak Park Uber driver crash

The backstory:

The crash happened around 11 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, in Oak Park at 8 Mile and Coolidge. 

Police said the driver of the Dodge Charger, identified as Sutton, went through the light and hit the Buick. Nearby surveillance video confirmed the cause of the crash, police said. 

Police said the driver of the Buick had to be cut out of the car, and was later pronounced dead. The driver was working as an Uber driver at the time, police added. 

Police found the Uber passenger, a 23-year-old man, lying in the middle of the road and said he had been thrown from the car when the crash happened. The passenger is in critical condition in the hospital. 

The driver of the Dodge Charger and his 18-year-old female passenger weren’t seriously injured, police said. 

Police said they believed intoxication was a factor involving the Dodge driver, and he was taken into custody. 

Berkley police involvement

Dig deeper:

While police were investigating this deadly crash, a second crash occurred at the scene around 1 a.m.

A driver rear-ended a Berkley patrol car. The Berkley officer that was assisting on-scene was not in the car at the time and not hurt. 

That driver, a 39-year-old man from Oak Park, was also arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, and Berkley Police said preliminarily that the driver indicated a blood alcohol concentration three times the legal limit. 

Video perspective:

Berkley Police released video of the second crash that occurred at the scene.

Video shows a driver speed by the scene, with the sound of screeching brakes and a crash. The officer nearby, in a traffic vest, flinches. 

"Yes, I’m good. I didn’t see any of that," the driver can be overheard telling police. 

What they're saying:

"We are sharing a brief video of the incident as a community awareness message regarding the dangers of drinking and driving," Berkley Police said on social media. 

The Source: Information in this article was taken from the Oak Park and Berkley police departments, which shared information on social media.

Crime and Public SafetyOak ParkDetroit