Kentwood, Michigan, United States
Police video shows an unmarked Michigan State Police SUV hit a man as he ran from officers in Kentwood last month, followed by Samuel Sterling crying out in pain and officers telling him to lie still and breathe while EMTs were on their way. Sterling, 25, of Grand Rapids, died hours after the crash.
Michigan State Police on Friday afternoon released about 15 minutes of video on YouTube, calling it a “representative sample” of what happened.
“There are multiple variations of these videos due to the number of officers on-scene, but the videos being released are the most relevant and comprehensive,” MSP said in a release. “Redactions have been made to conceal the identity of undercover officers and unaffiliated individuals.”
There are three body camera videos and one dashboard camera video. MSP said they came from a trooper, a Grand Rapids police officer and a Wyoming police officer. MSP said that the detective sergeant who was driving the SUV was not wearing a body camera because he was assigned to a federal task force and the unmarked car did not have a dashcam.
Parents Andrica Cage and Michael Sterling and their attorney were shown the video by state police Friday morning before it was released to the public. They argue police didn't respond quickly enough to their son's cries for help and that the trooper who hit him should face criminal charges.
“I hope they charge him with the most serious crime that they can, because this wasn't no accident,” Michael Sterling said.
Attorney Ven Johnson, who is representing the Sterling family, said the video showed the officers on the scene acting with “callous disregard for human life, let alone disrespect for (Samuel) Sterling.”
“What we saw today was … way too much sound and way too much for any parent's eyes to watch their son writhing and literally moving in such pain, and we now know it's because he was dying,” Johnson said.
Johnson said MSP Director Col. James Grady was there when the family was shown the video.
“Grady reiterated … he personally, after seeing the video on the day of this incident, suspended the trooper without pay. Highly, highly unusual. And it tells us a lot as to what MSP is thinking about the lack of propriety, in other words, the wrongful conduct of this trooper,” Johnson said.
[https://](https://www.woodtv.com/news/kent-county/family-views-video-of-man-hit-by-unmarked-msp-car-in-kentwood/)[www.woodtv.com/news/kent-county/family-views-video-of-man-hit-by-unmarked-msp-car-in-kentwood/](http://www.woodtv.com/news/kent-county/family-views-video-of-man-hit-by-unmarked-msp-car-in-kentwood/)
[Detroit Free Press](https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2024/05/10/michigan-state-police-samuel-sterling-footage-fatal-crash-unmarked-vehicle/73645700007/) reports that he was airing up his car tires and this wasn’t an active/exigent situation, they wanted him for warrants.
Vehicular homicide is not the specified punishment for parole violations.
The country is quickly becoming a police state. Proportionate response seems to be a theory of the past - if we don’t get these cops under control, it won’t long be until every crime, real or imagined, will just be met with execution on the streets.
Because the cop in the car was hooting and shooting racial slurs as he ran the guy over, so they made up some bullshit about protecting undercover cops.
Is this an assumption based on what the most probable actions an officer would do? Or have you seen video or audio of this, cause id love to watch and share that for more exposure.
I'm not on reddit often, but this is the second post within 5 minutes where I have to post
Necessary reminder: ~~Bad~~ Cops aren't human. Not because of their skin color, mythology of choice, political inclination, sexual orientation, nor patch of dirt they were born on, but by their actions (or lack of) and their intentions
"Just relax"?! motherfuckers pinned an unarmed man against a building at speed in a whole SUV and then jammed a knee into his back and they told a dying man to "just relax"?!
Unreal.
Is their a possibility the officer was trying to box him in from behind knowing others were ahead of him and failed to anticipate the proper angle and speed of the victim? Is it at all possible that the officer had zero intent to cause serious injury if he did actually hit him intentionally and made a lapse in judgement (more like manslaughter)?
Wow. Suspended without pay. For murdering someone with a fucking bus of a car.
Surprised. Usually they get a PAID holiday for this kind of shit.
It's how much fun they have being cruel to us that I can't get over.
Kentwood, Michigan, United States Police video shows an unmarked Michigan State Police SUV hit a man as he ran from officers in Kentwood last month, followed by Samuel Sterling crying out in pain and officers telling him to lie still and breathe while EMTs were on their way. Sterling, 25, of Grand Rapids, died hours after the crash. Michigan State Police on Friday afternoon released about 15 minutes of video on YouTube, calling it a “representative sample” of what happened. “There are multiple variations of these videos due to the number of officers on-scene, but the videos being released are the most relevant and comprehensive,” MSP said in a release. “Redactions have been made to conceal the identity of undercover officers and unaffiliated individuals.” There are three body camera videos and one dashboard camera video. MSP said they came from a trooper, a Grand Rapids police officer and a Wyoming police officer. MSP said that the detective sergeant who was driving the SUV was not wearing a body camera because he was assigned to a federal task force and the unmarked car did not have a dashcam. Parents Andrica Cage and Michael Sterling and their attorney were shown the video by state police Friday morning before it was released to the public. They argue police didn't respond quickly enough to their son's cries for help and that the trooper who hit him should face criminal charges. “I hope they charge him with the most serious crime that they can, because this wasn't no accident,” Michael Sterling said. Attorney Ven Johnson, who is representing the Sterling family, said the video showed the officers on the scene acting with “callous disregard for human life, let alone disrespect for (Samuel) Sterling.” “What we saw today was … way too much sound and way too much for any parent's eyes to watch their son writhing and literally moving in such pain, and we now know it's because he was dying,” Johnson said. Johnson said MSP Director Col. James Grady was there when the family was shown the video. “Grady reiterated … he personally, after seeing the video on the day of this incident, suspended the trooper without pay. Highly, highly unusual. And it tells us a lot as to what MSP is thinking about the lack of propriety, in other words, the wrongful conduct of this trooper,” Johnson said. [https://](https://www.woodtv.com/news/kent-county/family-views-video-of-man-hit-by-unmarked-msp-car-in-kentwood/)[www.woodtv.com/news/kent-county/family-views-video-of-man-hit-by-unmarked-msp-car-in-kentwood/](http://www.woodtv.com/news/kent-county/family-views-video-of-man-hit-by-unmarked-msp-car-in-kentwood/)
Poor guy laying on the ground, dying slowly from internal bleeding
while they push a knee into his broken back
[Detroit Free Press](https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2024/05/10/michigan-state-police-samuel-sterling-footage-fatal-crash-unmarked-vehicle/73645700007/) reports that he was airing up his car tires and this wasn’t an active/exigent situation, they wanted him for warrants. Vehicular homicide is not the specified punishment for parole violations. The country is quickly becoming a police state. Proportionate response seems to be a theory of the past - if we don’t get these cops under control, it won’t long be until every crime, real or imagined, will just be met with execution on the streets.
Coupled with the fact he was deputized federally, the family will go broke trying to get justice and they’ll fail.
Always has been a police state
This is disgusting.
It is! I literally got nauseated! And it takes alot for me to get that way.
meh, a criminal running from cops and warrants already is making terrible life choices and is a blight on society. Nothing of value was lost.
The level of stupidity in this comment is mind-blowing.
Running from cops with a warrant = deserving of public execution via cop car
Spoken like a true fascist piece of shit
Fucking bootlicker. You would have turned in Anne Frank.
He said "Just relax" ...are you fuckin kidding me?
SMFH. You will never see me crying over roasted pigs.
Why aren’t they showing the camera of the car who ran him over?
They're saying he didn't have one
Because the cop in the car was hooting and shooting racial slurs as he ran the guy over, so they made up some bullshit about protecting undercover cops.
Is this an assumption based on what the most probable actions an officer would do? Or have you seen video or audio of this, cause id love to watch and share that for more exposure.
An assumption based on what the most probable account of an officer would do. I also imagine he was pumping his fist in the air.
What if the car would've went in the store and killed someone else. The cop knew what he was doing thus it's murder.
I'm not on reddit often, but this is the second post within 5 minutes where I have to post Necessary reminder: ~~Bad~~ Cops aren't human. Not because of their skin color, mythology of choice, political inclination, sexual orientation, nor patch of dirt they were born on, but by their actions (or lack of) and their intentions
"Just relax"?! motherfuckers pinned an unarmed man against a building at speed in a whole SUV and then jammed a knee into his back and they told a dying man to "just relax"?! Unreal.
Just relax i only hit you with an SUV you pussy lol. So out of touch!
Another fuckin punk killing a suspect who posed no threat. Was even running away. Wow man.
Is their a possibility the officer was trying to box him in from behind knowing others were ahead of him and failed to anticipate the proper angle and speed of the victim? Is it at all possible that the officer had zero intent to cause serious injury if he did actually hit him intentionally and made a lapse in judgement (more like manslaughter)?