WARREN, Mich. – A driver has been sentenced to decades in prison after his passenger was killed when he crashed while fleeing police in Warren.
The crash happened the night of May 2, 2022, in the area of 10 Mile Road and Groesbeck Highway.
Officials said they tried to pull over a car driven by Jason Malcolm Brilla, 34, of Clinton Township. He fled at a high speed, lost control of the car, ran a red light, and struck another vehicle. The collision caused his car to smash into a utility pole.
Brilla got out of the car and fled on foot, but he was quickly taken into custody, according to authorities.
A woman riding in Brilla’s car at the time of the crash was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition. She later died from her injuries.
“The Warren police officers attempted life-saving measures to the victim, who was unresponsive after the crash,” Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said. “Unfortunately, the victim’s injuries were too severe in this case, and she succumbed to her injuries while at the hospital.
Brilla was charged with second-degree murder, first-degree fleeing a police officer, operating a motor vehicle on a suspended license causing death, and assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer.
A Macomb County jury found Brilla guilty on all charges in March.
He learned his sentence on Monday, May 2, 2023:
- Second-degree murder: 40-60 years in prison
- First-degree fleeing a police officer: 5-15 years in prison
- Operating a motor vehicle on a suspended license causing death: 5-15 years in prison
- Assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer: 1-2 years in prison.
Brilla will serve his sentence in the Michigan Department of Corrections. His sentences run concurrently.