'Like a rocket': Investigation into two deaths in violent confrontation with Warren police continues

WARREN, Mich. (FOX 2) – Two men were killed in a fiery crash Monday after they were struck by a Warren police vehicle while turning.

“He called me around 4:26 p.m. and said he loved me. Two seconds later my son was gone,” Cedric Hayden Sr. said.

His son, Cedric Hayden Jr., 34, was driving a Dodge Durango with his best friend, 33-year-old Dejuan Pettis, early Monday. As they turned left from Schoenherr Road onto Prospect Avenue, they were struck by a Warren police vehicle with two officers inside. The officers were injured, while Hayden Jr. and Pettis were killed.

Surveillance cameras recorded the crash.

“My son turned around like a rocket hit him,” Hayden Sr. captioned the video. “It was all black, no lights on and it went straight through. He had no chance.”

Police did not provide any information about the circumstances of the accident, but said officers were not involved in a chase at the time. Police also said the men were not suspects.

Hayden Sr. estimated the officers were traveling at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour when they struck his son.

“Why were they driving so fast? Why no lights? This is a 35 mph road,” said Teresa Ford, Hayden Jr.’s mother.

A maximum speed limit of 40 miles per hour applies on the site of the Schönherr accident site.

The case has been turned over to the Macomb County Sheriff's Office. An examination can take up to two weeks.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help Pettis' family. Find it here.