Detroit PD officers arrest man who posted social media video of intentional hit-and-run crash

By Kate Linderman
Merced Sun-Star (Merced, Calif.)

DETROIT — What initially looked like a hit-and-run turned out to be a targeted stunt for social media, Michigan police said.

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Detroit police arrived at the scene Aug. 1 and said they found a man with two broken legs on the side of the road. Officers thought it was an accident until they found a video on Instagram, 7th precinct Commander John Svec said in a video news conference.

The video was filmed from inside the vehicle, Svec said, and it showed the steering wheel and the front of the vehicle but not the driver.

The driver swerved to “deliberately” hit a man walking along the side of the street as the driver cruised along an empty road, according to Svec.

“Hurting someone you probably don’t even know for no reason whatsoever just for some attention on social media (is) pretty disgusting,” Svec said.

While police believe this is an “isolated” incident and not part of a larger social media trend, Svec said he has never seen anything this “extreme” for social media.

Police said they are submitting warrants to learn who posted the video. They are also asking the person accused of hitting the man to turn themselves in.

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