State police take over drunk driver case

By Charles Sercombe
The Michigan State Police are now in charge of investigating the case of a highly intoxicated female driver who was shot in the shoulder by Hamtramck police officers.
In breaking news, Beverly Hills police just arraigned the 53-year-old woman, Lisa Berry, of Sterling Heights, on driving while intoxicated (third offense), driving with a suspended license (second offense) and fleeing and eluding.
Beverly Hills was the last Police Department to chase Berry. Officers had terminated their chase but found Berry in her car in Lathrup Village. She had crashed into a curb and came to a halt. Police say she did not resist arrest.
Berry’s bond was set at $250,000. She is currently being held in Oakland County Jail. State police say they will also charge Berry sometime in the near future.
Contrary to previous media reports, the incident started in the city on Caniff and McDougall last Thursday at about 2:45 a.m. That’s when officers noticed Berry was driving fast and swerving — almost hitting several cars.
Officers pulled Berry over at Caniff and St. Aubin but after a few seconds, she drove off. A high-speed chase ensued on I-75 going north. Detective Derek Suwalkowski said Berry exceeded speeds of 90 miles per hour and was swerving in and out of lanes.
Officers called off the chase at about 9 Mile and exited the freeway at that point. To their surprise, Berry had also pulled off. That’s when three scout cars tried to box her in. Berry, however, pulled forward, striking a patrol car, then backward, hitting another and finally jumped a curb and struck an officer.
Two officers opened fire at her, blowing out her windows and striking Berry in the shoulder. Sulakowski declined to comment on department policy on when officers can shoot a suspect but he did say the officers felt that their life was in danger.
The officer who was struck was not seriously injured.
Michigan State Police are investigating the circumstances of the shooting.
Berry managed to escape.
Suwalkowski said Berry has an extensive history of drunk driving and is no longer eligible to have a driver’s license. Her blood-alcohol level was over three times the amount considered to be drunk.

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