BYRON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — It is a situation that has ended people's lives, but on Tuesday morning the quick action of Kent County sheriff's deputies stopped a suspected drunk driver who was headed the wrong way on US-131.
Around 1:30 a.m., the sheriff's office and Michigan State Police both responded to a call of a vehicle going south in the northbound lanes of US-131 for several miles.
WATCH: Deputies stop wrong-way driver on US-131
In dash camera footage released by the sheriff's office, you can hear dispatchers report the driver almost hit a semi truck head-on.
Deputies caught up to the vehicle as it passed under 68th Street in Byron Township, ordering the driver to pull over. The driver pulled over just south of 76th Street, based on the video footage.
Video from the deputy's body camera captured the deputy order the man to turn off the vehicle and step out of the car.
"Do you know what's going on right now?" the deputy asked him.
It wasn't clear in the video if the man responded.
"Where are you coming from?" asked the deputy. The man responded he was leaving home.
"Do you realize where you are right now?" the deputy asked.
"You don't know where you are. So you're on the highway. You're on 131 right now," the deputy told the driver.
"Do you realize that you're going the wrong way down the highway?" asked the deputy.
"I don't," the man could be heard on the recording.
"How much have you had to drink tonight?" the deputy questioned.
"I don't know," the man answered.
State police arrested the driver on suspicion of operating while intoxicated. He has not been arraigned on charges as of Tuesday afternoon.
There is zero excuse for drunk driving, the sheriff's office said in a statement. It encourages anyone who might be under the influence of drugs or alcohol to call a friend, use a ride share service, or just stay put instead of getting behind the wheel.
