PORTAGE, Mich. — A woman who was pulled over by a Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s deputy first stopped, then took off and was killed when her car rolled over in Portage.
The woman — later identified as Juanita Lee, 50, of Kalamazoo — and deputy pulled into a parking lot around 3:08 a.m. Friday after she was pulled over for speeding on Westnedge Avenue and Milham Avenue. She got out of the car, but the deputy told her to get back in it. When she did, she sped off.
The deputy pursued her but lost track of her on Westnedge at Romence Road. Her car found not far from the Portage Police Department; the car had rolled and the woman, 50, was s thrown about 80 feet from the car. It is believed the car sped off the road, hit the railroad tracks that run parallel to the road and rolled over.
The crash took place on S. Westnedge Avenue between Schuring Road and Shaver Road. That portion of Westnedge was closed while the scene was cleared and the crash investigated by Michigan State Police.
The Portage Public Safety Department headquarters is located just south of the scene of the crash.
Alcohol and speed are believed to have been factors.
