Drivers do donuts in front of police officers in busy intersection on Detroit’s west side

One drive set a ring of fire to the road

DETROIT – Drivers seen on video doing donuts on 7 Mile and Greenfield roads in front of Detroit police are under investigation.

At one point, a man is seen spreading gasoline in the middle of the intersection and lights a ring of fire while several officers look on as the chaos unfolds.

“To avoid an incident of a high-speed chase and avoid injuries or someone being injured or possibly killed, they did a great job,” said Detroit police Commander Vernal Newson.

The first call went out to the police at 12:26 a.m. Monday (Dec. 5) and Detroit police had the intersection cleared in four minutes.

A squad car was hit by a spectator leaving the scene, and the woman was issued a citation.

“The objective here is to disperse and disband the group safely because we’ve had experienced before where cars have been pursued, and people were killed or injured,” Newson said. “We don’t want that during the holiday experience.”

Newson says many drag racers and drifters are from the suburbs and police have a message for those who enter Detroit and engage in reckless and dangerous behavior.

“We’ve identified the owner of the white (Dodge) Challenger,” Newson said. “We’re going to come and execute a search warrant at your home and seize your vehicle, and we’re going to knock down your door and take you into custody for this.”

The video was captured at the Mobile gas station, which is a Green Light location.


About the Authors:

Priya joined WDIV-Local 4 in 2013 as a reporter and fill-in anchor. Education: B.A. in Communications/Post Grad in Advanced Journalism

Brandon Carr is a digital content producer for ClickOnDetroit and has been with WDIV Local 4 since November 2021. Brandon is the 2015 Solomon Kinloch Humanitarian award recipient for Community Service.