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Emmon Woods

Age : 20

Gender : Female

Race : Unknown

Date : 04/29/2021

Location : 15 Mile Road& Van Dyke Avenue

City : Sterling Heights

County : Macomb

State : Michigan

Agency : Sterling Heights Police Department

Officer(s) :Unknown

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Bystander killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

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REASON FOR CHASE: by standard killed during stolen vehicle chase
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NARRATIVE:
On 04/29/2021 at approximately 11:00 p.m., Emmon Woods, 20, was driving a Chevrolet Malibu near 15 Mile Road and Van Dyke Avenue in Sterling Heights when a stolen Jeep Grand Cherokee traveling south on Van Dyke entered the intersection at extreme speed and struck her vehicle. Woods was killed instantly.
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The incident began after four people broke into Jim Riehl’s Friendly Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram in Washington Township and stole four vehicles. A Macomb County sheriff’s deputy encountered a stolen Jeep driven by 17-year-old Angelo Rickey Smith and pursued it from the dealership area. Authorities said the Jeep was traveling at extremely high speed, and the deputy terminated the pursuit near 26 Mile and Van Dyke because of the danger. No other police agency continued the pursuit.
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Smith continued south on Van Dyke after police terminated the pursuit. Later prosecution records established that he reached speeds exceeding 130 mph. Police said he repeatedly ran red lights before entering the intersection at 15 Mile against the signal and striking Woods' Malibu. The collision propelled the vehicles into a Hyundai Sonata and destroyed a streetlight and other roadside property. A witness described the impact as sounding like a bomb.
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Woods died at the scene. The driver and passenger of the Hyundai suffered minor injuries. Smith was also injured and hospitalized under police custody. A passenger in the stolen Jeep fled the crash scene on foot.
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Smith was charged with felony murder, second-degree murder and fleeing-and-eluding offenses. The case remained pending for more than four years. A second man, Taiyon Jennings, who had been a passenger in the stolen Jeep, was also initially charged with murder, but a judge dismissed those homicide charges after finding insufficient evidence that Jennings intended or encouraged the fatal conduct. Jennings later pleaded guilty to breaking and entering and larceny and received 43 months to 10 years in prison.
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On 07/24/2025, Smith pleaded no contest to second-degree homicide, first-degree fleeing and eluding, breaking and entering with intent, and larceny in a building. On 09/04/2025, Macomb County Circuit Judge Michael Servitto sentenced him to 15 to 50 years for second-degree murder, 86 months to 15 years for fleeing and eluding, 38 months to 10 years for breaking and entering, and one to four years for larceny, with the sentences running concurrently. He received credit for 1,585 days already served.
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Woods' death remained part of the public debate over high-speed police pursuits in Macomb County. In 2025, prosecutors cited her case while advocating tougher penalties for drivers who flee police.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Macomb County Sheriff’s Office did not publicly identify the deputy who initiated and then terminated the pursuit.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/sterling-heights-police-chase-ends-in-deadly-three-car-crash-killing-20-year-old-woman
https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2021/04/30/police-woman-killed-in-macomb-county-by-speeding-teen-in-stolen-jeep/
https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2021/05/04/17-year-old-charged-in-sterling-heights-crash-that-killed-20-year-old-woman/
https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/fatal-crash-in-sterling-heights-tied-to-macomb-county-dealership-theft-where-four-cars-were-stolen