GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A driver who died in a car crash over the weekend had been fleeing from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to the Grand Rapids Police Department.
On Tuesday, GRPD Chief Joe Trigg commented on the fatal crash during a city meeting, and his department also released a statement.
At around 7:00 a.m. on Sunday, Trigg said ICE agents attempted to make a traffic stop in Grand Rapids near Hall Street and Century Avenue.
The driver fled from the stop at "excessive speeds," according to Trigg, and crashed into a tree near Mc Kendrick Street and Century Avenue, around a mile away from where the traffic stop was initiated.
The car caught fire, and the driver was pronounced dead at the scene.
Watch our original report Monday in the video below
In a statement released Tuesday, GRPD said its traffic investigators have been "limited in their ability" to gather information from federal agents about events preceding the crash.
"Due to the complexity of the investigation, Chief Trigg has requested that the Michigan State Police take part in the investigation. MSP, under the direction of the governor and attorney general, may be in a better position to determine the timeframe and any other potentially relevant circumstances, and any next steps that may be appropriate," GRPD said as part of its statement.
The department said that it also had no involvement in, and no knowledge of the situation before being called to the crash site.
In a statement on Wednesday, Governor Whitmer ordered Michigan State Police to start an independent investigation.
"Given the circumstances of this incident, the Governor has directed the Michigan State Police to conduct an independent review of the law enforcement actions surrounding this situation in coordination with the Grand Rapids Police Department's investigation."
The Department of Homeland Security and ICE did not immediately respond to requests for comment on this story.
Leaders and lawmakers
U.S. Representative Hillary Scholten's office says she sent a letter to the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, demanding answers on the agents' actions.
“No traffic stop should end with a fatality," said Scholten in a statement. "Something went wrong, and we need to know what and how. I have sent a letter to Immigration and Customs Enforcement demanding immediate answers about what happened and a transparent investigation into facts we don't yet know, so that we can prevent something like this from ever happening again. The purpose of federal law enforcement is to make our communities safer. We must make sure that is happening. I will continue to monitor this situation closely and remain in close contact with federal and local law enforcement until our community gets the answers we deserve.”
No one should lose their life in a traffic stop. My office has sent a letter to ICE demanding answers and won't stop until we get them. pic.twitter.com/eTx6umIAjV
— Congresswoman Hillary Scholten (@RepScholten) September 22, 2026
In addition, during the same city meeting where GRPD Chief Trigg commented on the fatal crash, Grand Rapids Third Ward Commissioner Marshall Kilgore said, "I certainly do not understand what this federal agency is doing, but it certainly, in my opinion, is not making our community safer."
