Video shows man hit by unmarked MSP cruiser
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Police video shows an unmarked Michigan State Police SUV hit a man as he ran from officers in Kentwood last month, followed by Samuel Sterling crying out in pain and officers telling him to lie still and breathe while EMTs were on their way.
Sterling, 25, of Grand Rapids, died hours after the crash.
Michigan State Police on Friday afternoon released about 15 minutes of video on YouTube, calling it a “representative sample” of what happened.
“There are multiple variations of these videos due to the number of officers on-scene, but the videos being released are the most relevant and comprehensive,” MSP said in a release. “Redactions have been made to conceal the identity of undercover officers and unaffiliated individuals.”
There are three body camera videos and one dashboard camera video. MSP said they came from a trooper, a Grand Rapids police officer and a Wyoming police officer. MSP said that the detective sergeant who was driving the SUV was not wearing a body camera because he was assigned to a federal task force and the unmarked car did not have a dashcam.
THE VIDEO
Watch a short segment of the video, which News 8 has blurred, below. Discretion is advised.
The video from the morning of April 17 begins with a Wyoming police officer getting out of a cruiser and running. He shouted for Sterling to put his hands in the air and reported the route of the foot chase over his radio.
“Sterling, get on the ground right now!” the officer shouted.
The video shows Sterling kept running.
It then shows an unmarked SUV hit Sterling on the sidewalk leading into the restaurant. Sterling can be heard shouting in pain. He was pinned up against the wall for a few seconds before the cruiser backed away slightly. One of the bodycam videos shows that as he fell to the ground, he clutched his stomach.
Officers can be heard ordering Sterling to put his hands behind his back. The Wyoming officer called for medical help.
“My back,” he moaned.
The video shows multiple officers holding Sterling down, including a Grand Rapids officer placing a knee against his back for about 10 seconds. The officers told Sterling not to reach for anything.
“I got no gun,” Sterling told them.
“Why’d you hit me like that?” he can be heard asking around moans of pain.
He continued to complain of pain in his back. Officers cuffed Sterling’s hands in front of him and checked his pockets. They then waited for EMTs to arrive.
“Just try to lay as still as you can,” the Grand Rapids officer can be heard saying.
“Samuel, what hurts, exactly?” the Wyoming officer asked. “Just your back? Do your legs hurt at all? … Don’t move, man.”
“They’re coming. Just relax,” one officer said. “Just catch your breath.”
“Just breathe. Don’t move, man,” the Wyoming officer said. “…We don’t want you moving your back.”
Emergency medical responders arrived on the scene in about five minutes, the video shows. The Wyoming officer told them what happened.
“Cuffs need to stay on,” the officer told them. “He’s a wanted, violent felon.”
“Did the car bump into the building or did he actually get pinned between the vehicle and the building?” an EMT asked.
“Both,” the officer responded.
When an EMT asked Sterling for his first name, he replied with his last name.
“I can’t even think,” Sterling said. “Bro, please help me. Please help me.”
He continued to moan in pain.
‘MY SON DIDN’T DESERVE THAT’
Parents Andrica Cage and Michael Sterling and their attorney were shown the video by state police Friday morning before it was released to the public. They argue police didn’t respond quickly enough to their son’s cries for help and that the trooper who hit him should face criminal charges.
“I hope they charge him with the most serious crime that they can, because this wasn’t no accident,” Michael Sterling said.
Attorney Ven Johnson, who is representing the Sterling family, said the video showed the officers on the scene acting with “callous disregard for human life, let alone disrespect for (Samuel) Sterling.”
“What we saw today was … way too much sound and way too much for any parent’s eyes to watch their son writhing and literally moving in such pain, and we now know it’s because he was dying,” Johnson said.
Johnson and former Kent County commissioner Robert S. Womack, who is assisting the family, likened Sterling’s death to that of George Floyd.
“You have George Floyd crying out for help, you have Samuel Sterling crying out for help from the people we were raised to believe would be the first persons to help you, and that’s the officers in blue,” Womack said.
Expert: Chase that killed Samuel Sterling a ‘criminal matter’
Police found Sterling, a probation absconder who was wanted on felony warrants that police have not enumerated, at a gas station near the intersection of 52nd Street and Eastern Avenue in Kentwood. They say when they approached, Sterling ran away. Several officers chased him on foot, as did the MSP detective sergeant in the unmarked vehicle. Sterling and the officers ended up in the parking lot of a nearby Burger King.
“Samuel was running parallel with the side of the Burger King,” Johnson recounted to News 8 after viewing the video. “And the car came up from behind him, parallel with Burger King. And then you see the car swerve, the front end swerve, passenger’s side to the right and then goes up and over the curb and hits Samuel on the sidewalk. And then Samuel flew into the wall of the Burger King.”
“I listened to this video and my son was crying out for help. He asked them to help him. And he didn’t just say it once. He said it a couple times,” Cage said. “They started laughing about it. And I thought that was so disrespectful. They didn’t care if he got hit.”
At the end of the video, the Grand Rapids officer can be heard telling the others, “I’m going to go grab my truck, make sure it’s not being driven by somebody else.” He then laughed briefly and walked away.
The video shows that as Sterling moaned in pain, officers told him to “be quiet and just breathe” and to relax.
“How can somebody just be quiet and just breathe when you just hit him with a whole car?” Cage wondered. “I can’t understand it. I just don’t understand it.”
Sterling was taken to the hospital, where he later died. His death certificate shows he sustained “multiple blunt force injuries.”
Father: Death of son hit by police car ‘senseless’
His father Michael Sterling was with him when he died. Michael Sterling said he could not bring himself to watch all the video shown to the family Friday.
“I left out the room after seeing the first part because it was horrifying to me. Can’t believe somebody would do a person like that,” Michael Sterling said. “You wouldn’t hit a dog like that. And to watch that is just so hurtful. My son didn’t deserve that. Nobody deserves to get ran down like that for a little simple probation violation.”
NO TIMELINE FOR AG’S DECISION
Johnson said MSP Director Col. James Grady was there when the family was shown the video.
“Grady reiterated … he personally, after seeing the video on the day of this incident, suspended the trooper without pay. Highly, highly unusual. And it tells us a lot as to what MSP is thinking about the lack of propriety, in other words, the wrongful conduct of this trooper,” Johnson said.
MSP did not release the detective sergeant’s name to Johnson or the Sterling family.
Johnson said he was told MSP’s investigation into what happened is done and has been turned over to the Michigan Attorney General’s Office, which will decide what charges, if any, are appropriate. There is no timeline for when that decision might be made, but Johnson said he was “quite confident” there would be criminal charges.
“As Director of the Michigan State Police, I assure the Sterling and Cage families and the communities we serve that we will continue to be transparent in this investigation and will fully cooperate with the Michigan Department of Attorney General as they begin their review,” Grady said in a Friday statement as the video was released. “The Michigan State Police has a proud tradition of service through excellence, integrity and courtesy, and we intend to uphold that standard.”
Teen dies weeks after being hit by deputy’s cruiser
Johnson thanked Grady, Attorney General Dana Nessel and her office and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for their professionalism. He said Whitmer met with the Sterling family this week.
In a statement released after the video, Whitmer called Samuel Sterling’s death “unacceptable.” She said if the trooper is charged, she expected he would be fired.
“My heart is with his family and the Grand Rapids community. The state trooper involved is on unpaid suspension. The MSP investigation has been completed and Attorney General Dana Nessel is reviewing to make a final determination on any charges. I have full faith that her office will work quickly to arrive at a fair and just decision as to whether criminal charges are appropriate. In light of video footage showing a departure from MSP protocols and the high standards of the department, my expectation is the State of Michigan will take steps to terminate the trooper’s employment if criminal charges are issued.”
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist called the death a “tragedy.”
“Samuel Sterling’s death is an absolute tragedy. The Sterling family and Grand Rapids community deserve answers, accountability, and justice. I hear, see, and feel the incredible pain that people are experiencing right now, along with the trauma this triggers for so many. In my heart, I know that we can build a world where every interaction within our community, especially those with law enforcement, results in a safe outcome for everyone. We must wrap our arms around each other as we continue to work together toward that goal. I want to thank Colonel Grady for showing leadership in tough times, treating this with true professionalism while ensuring a fair and thorough investigation.”
Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist
State Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, offered her condolences to the Sterling family and praised Grady for suspending the trooper.
“The footage released today showing the last moments of Samuel Sterling’s life is unbearable to watch. As a mom, I am heartbroken for the Sterling family and I extend my deepest condolences to his loved ones and our entire community.
“Col. Grady’s actions to place the officer in question on immediate, unpaid suspension is an indication of the seriousness with which he is addressing this situation. The matter of delivering justice is now in the hands of the attorney general’s office, and I have every expectation that a swift and just resolution will be reached.”
Sen. Winnie Brinks
Family said Sterling was a rapper who had a show scheduled for the weekend following his death. He left behind two young sons, ages 2 and 3, and was preceded in death by a daughter who died shortly after she was born.
“I just can’t believe this happened to my son. He didn’t deserve it,” Michael Sterling said.
“Just keep us in prayer, ’cause that’s all we got right now, is prayer,” Cage said.
She said she had forgotten Mother’s Day was this weekend.
“That’s going to be my hardest day,” she said. “I don’t even know what to think at that point. … You can’t think about things like that when you have to bury your kids.”
—Target 8 investigator Susan Samples contributed to this report.
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