MOUNT CLEMENS (WWJ) -- A 21-year-old Macomb County man has pleaded no contest to homicide and other charges in connection to killing a woman in a crash while fleeing police in a stolen Jeep.
Police said Angelo Rickey Smith was just 17 years old in April 2021, when he and other accomplices stole multiple vehicles from a dealership.
Smith allegedly fled police at 130 miles per hour in the Jeep and blew through a red light. He smashed into two other vehicles at 15 Mile Rd. and Van Dyke Ave., killing 20-year-old Emmon Woods.
“This remains a deeply troubling issue,” Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido said in a statement, following the plea. “Here, a young man stole a vehicle and then made the decision to flee from the police which resulted in the death of an innocent young woman whose life was just ahead of her. There must be consequences to stop this behavior before it ends up with these tragic results.”
Lucido noted that the Michigan House is now taking up a bill that would impose tougher penalties on those who refuse to stop for police.
“Every time someone runs, they roll the dice with innocent lives. I want to end that gamble,” Lucido said. “We need statutory enhancement of consequences including mandatory prison time. The people of the state of Michigan deserve to be protected.”
Smith pleaded no contest in Macomb County Circuit to the following:
- Homicide - 2nd Degree, a felony punishable by up to life in prison
- Police Officer Flee and Elude - 1st Degree, a 15-year felony
- Breaking and Entering a Building with Intent, a 10-year felony
- Larceny in a Building, a 4-year felony
He is slated to be sentenced in September.