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Police: Driver in bicyclist crash was combative at hospital

Posted at 3:41 PM, Jul 01, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-01 15:41:18-04

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – More details are being released in the crash that killed five bicyclists in Kalamazoo County.

The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety released twenty pages of reports from officers who responded on June 7th to the scene on north Westnedge.

Charles Pickett is being held on Reckless Driving and 2nd Degree Murder charges in the crash.  One of the officers was summoned to Borgess Hospital where some of the victims and Pickett were taken.  The officer was called to assist other Michigan State Police officers and nurses where Pickett was yelling and struggling with his restraints.  He had been handcuffed to his bed and tied by the ankles, but needed to be held down while medical treatment and a CT scan was given.

Two other officers gave accounts of witnesses who saw Pickett’s truck driving near the crash scene.   One witness said that he saw the truck leave G Avenue and drive through his yard, between his house and a set of bushes.  The witness told the officer that he was going so fast and driving in a manner that led him to believe someone was chasing the truck.

Another witness told he had seen the truck driving and speeding north on Douglas Avenue.  He noticed that the truck had leafs in the front grill and looked like it had been in a prior accident.