Police dog flushes out hit-and-run driver who knocked cyclist off bike then fled into woodland

A hit and run driver who knocked a cyclist from her bike and fled the scene was arrested in Michigan after a police dog tracked the motorist and flushed her out of woodland to be met by officers.

Michigan State Police say that officers from Cadillac Post in Manistee County, which lies on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, were called to the scene of the crash on Kurick Road near Dzuibanek Road in Springdale Township at around 3.45pm on Friday 3 May.

The crash left the cyclist, a 73-year-old woman from Thompsonville, hospitalised at  Munson Medical Center in Frankfort with what were described as non-life-threatening injuries, reports UpNorthLive.com.

A 41-year-old woman claimed that she had been driving the car, but later admitted that she was a passenger in the vehicle, with the actual driver, a 35-year-old woman with an outstanding arrest warrant, having fled the scene on foot.

A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of methamphetamines as well as a stun gun, and a police dog handler, accompanied by Police Dog Ox, were called to the scene and tracked the wanted driver through five miles of swamp and thick woodland.

When the woman eventually came out of the woods, she was met by police officers who arrested her and took her to Manistee County Jail where she was reported to be awaiting arraignment.

News of the successful chase comes at the start of National Cyclist Safety Month in the United States, with Michigan State Police saying that 36 cyclists were killed and 1,030 injured on the state’s roads during 2022.

Katie Bower, director of the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP), which described a recent increase in the number of cyclist fatalities as “alarming,” said: “We continue to see a rise in bicycle-involved crashes in many communities across the state.

“Traffic safety is a shared responsibility,” she continued. “During National Bicycle Safety Month, the OHSP and our traffic safety partners will be working to educate residents about the importance of bicycle safety and the traffic laws designed to protect bicyclists.

“Motorists and bicyclists can avoid crashes if they know and follow the rules of the road and watch out for each other,” she added.

May is National Bicycle Safety Month! A quick reminder what we all can do to share the road!
Drivers should:
• Give at least 3-feet when passing bicyclists.
• Obey traffic signals, signs and markings.
• Yield to bicyclists as you would motorists.
• Stay alert and take extra… pic.twitter.com/cJw4OkmyrB

— MSP Second District (@mspmetrodet) May 2, 2024