On April 8, 17-year-old Riley Doggett was a passenger in a stolen car being pursued by police.
When the stolen vehicle slows, Doggett exits. That’s when he was sideswiped by a Kent County Sheriff’s deputy patrol car.
Doggett suffered a traumatic brain injury and died a month later.
After reviewing the Michigan State Police investigative report, Prosecutor Chris Becker announced he did not find a basis to charge the officer, stating he could find no evidence of intent to kill or inflict great bodily harm, gross negligence, or reckless driving.
He believes in-car video clearly shows the officer was trying to go past Doggett and cut him off when the left tire caught him by the calf violently pulling him to the ground.
Doggett was a passenger in the stolen vehicle. The prosecutor is charging the teenage driver with fleeing and eluding police causing death, and continuing criminal enterprises – both felonies. Becker is also petitioning to try that teen as an adult based on this incident and his previous history.
Riley Doggett’s mother Becky Wilbert watched the police in-car video privately shortly before it was released.
“I don’t understand how we’re charging somebody who did not run over my son but the man who did run over my son is not getting charged. I don’t think that’s fair at all. And that officer clearly ran over my son. I seen the video. I seen a longer video than what was posted. He ran my son over.”
Family attorney Ven Johnson says they will now file a civil lawsuit against the sheriff’s department.
