Fleeing driver causes deadly accident
45-year-old Portage man died in 2-vehicle crash

WOOD TV 8

Updated: Wednesday, 20 Oct 2010, 6:46 PM EDT
Published : Tuesday, 19 Oct 2010, 11:22 PM EDT

By Dani Carlson
KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) - A young man fleeing from police in an attempted traffic stop sped through a red light and collided with another vehicle, killing that second driver, police said.

The victim was later identified as Brian James Arra, 45, of Portage.

As soon as Arra's friends John Schueneman and Lowell Korfmacher heard their friend died, they immediately left their St. Joseph homes and headed to Arra's house.

"You really don't know what to do -- what the right thing to do is," Schueneman said, when asked why it was important to drive to Arra's wife and three children. "You'd rather err on the side of being here and not having anything to do, rather than being away and you miss that opportunity to be an encouragement."

The three men met at church; both men stood up in Arra's wedding, and have all been friends for more than 10 years.

"Brian was the kind of person that made everyone else better that was around him," said Schueneman, while holding back tears.

Schueneman and Korfmacher spoke of Arra's strong faith, telling 24 Hour News 8 they hope faith will bring comfort to Arra's family during this tragic time.

But, they said, they still can't help but wonder why this would happen.

"That's a feeling that I have that, you know, some way, some reason -- God has a reason," Korfmacher said. "That's what we kinda gotta live by in times like this."

An officer tried to pull over the suspect in his vehicle near Jasper and Vine streets around 10 p.m. Tuesday. The 19-year-old driver, who did not have a valid license, did not stop and sped away on westbound Vine Street, according to Chief Jeff Hadley, of the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety.

The officer followed protocol and did not chase after the driver, but rather called dispatch with a description of the car.

The officer is not on any type of probation and, at this point, the chief doesn't think the officer did anything wrong.

The 19-year-old drove through a red light at the Westnedge Avenue intersection and his car collided with a southbound SUV, police said.

The SUV, driven by Arra, flipped and rested on a nearby sidewalk. The suspect's vehicle crashed into the side of the Kalamazoo Neighborhood Housing Services building.

"When I turned around, there was a car flying through the air," said Amanda Mario, a witness. "The car had ran the red light and had hit another car. When it hit, it flipped, and it was coming right at me. Luckily, she grabbed me and pulled me into the hallway before anything could happen."

The suspect driver was taken to a hospital for treatment to nonlife-threatening injuries. He is currently in the custody of the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Department, and is expected to be charged Thursday with felony fleeing and eluding police causing death, and felony driving without a license causing death.

"No matter what the consequences are for being pulled over for a particular violation, it is not worth the outcome that occurred in this case," Hadley said. "If I could plead to anybody that's being pulled over by any officer, let alone the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety, stop, deal with the situation, but don't flee. Because this is what could happen if you do."

This isn't the first time public safety officers have arrested the 19-year-old this month. On Oct. 3, he was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon, resisting arrest and driving without a license.