A man in Macomb County, Michigan, will serve less than nine months in prison after he led local police officers on a high-speed chase, which eventually came to a stop when he crashed. Shockingly, his nine-year-old son was in the car with him during the incident.
As reported by WDIV, 31-year-old Otez Coil was sentenced to 270 days in jail and two to three years’ probation. He had previously pleaded no contest back in April to second-degree fleeing, fourth-degree child abuse, and operating while intoxicated, the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office announced at the time.
The incident occurred back on December 16, 2025. At the time, Warren Police Department (WPD) officers were patrolling the area near Van Dyke and Civic Center Boulevard. At around 9:30 p.m., officers observed a speeding Jeep Cherokee, with the person behind the wheel driving erratically while failing to signal amid lane changes.
Warren officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but the driver, then identified as Coil, refused to stop, choosing to flee instead.
High-Speed Chase, Crash
Coil proceeded with his attempt to elude the authorities by speeding on Van Dyke, reaching approximately 80 mph. Shortly after, however, the chase abruptly stopped. Right after Coil turned right onto 11 Mile Road, he hit a guardrail.
A disoriented Coil then exited the vehicle. He, however, then grabbed a nine-year-old boy, his son, from inside the Jeep and held onto him as Warren officers approached him. Officers were able to separate the father and son and took custody of the former. Fortunately, the minor was not injured as a result of the crash.
On top of the charges detailed above, Coil was also charged with driving with a suspended license. That misdemeanor charge was ultimately dismissed as part of Coil’s plea agreement.
Undersentencing, Users Say
Multiple users believed that Coil’s sentencing was not severe enough, given the circumstances of the aforementioned police chase. Some argued that, with no serious consequences, individuals could lead to recidivism.
The Prosecutor’s Office was particularly set on laying out the severity of Coil’s charges. For example, his second-degree fleeing conviction in itself was described as a “10-year felony.” Furthermore, since Coil was a habitual offender, he could have received a 20-year sentence instead.
“We have seen so many incidents of innocent individuals killed by drivers fleeing from police,” Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido said at the time.
“This case is additionally troubling because the defendant’s child was in the vehicle. We are grateful that the child was not injured.”