Hit-and-run suspect that killed off-duty Detroit police officer in crash had suspended license

In the hit-and-run case involving the death of an off-duty police officer, Dayjon Macon appeared before a court to find out his bond.

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    Dayjon Antwian Macon faced a judge for a bond hearing, accused a hit-and-run killing an off-duty Detroit police officer.
    
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    Macon was said to be driving on a suspended license at the time of the crash, killing Cameron Richardson early Sunday morning.
    
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    The judge called Macon a threat to the community and considered him a flight rush at Thursday’s hearing.
    

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  Dayjon Antwian Macon faced a judge for a bond hearing, accused a hit-and-run killing an off-duty Detroit police officer.
  
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  Macon was said to be driving on a suspended license at the time of the crash, killing Cameron Richardson early Sunday morning.
  
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  The judge called Macon a threat to the community and considered him a flight rush at Thursday’s hearing.
  

DETROIT (FOX 2):The defense lawyer for the hit-and-run suspect in the collision that killed off-duty Detroit Police Officer Cameron Richardson presented the case to the judge Thursday, arguing that it was a tragic accident.

Dayjon Antwian Macon was placed under house arrest with a GPS tether and given a $250,000 cash surety bond by the court for allegedly fleeing the scene of the tragic crash.

Macon was operating a vehicle with a suspended license and had no prior criminal history.

Judge William Burton stated, “The first thing that troubled me was that he had a suspended license.” “He ran away from the scene; I’m not sure what made him drive in the central lane. Perhaps he was asleep, or perhaps he is a poor driver. Regardless, the court deems those two issues very problematic.

“And I don’t think he’s going to stop driving based on the court’s order.”

Macon, 28, is a state-paid caretaker who assists his two brothers, one with autism and the other with cerebral palsy. Phillip Ragan, Macon’s lawyer, contended that the cash bond was exorbitant. The van he was driving was registered for his aunt and grandmother, whom he also looks after.

Richardson’s Jeep was struck when the white van Macon was reportedly driving tried to turn left in front of it at the moment of the collision.

“It’s a tragic situation, your honor, but it only takes a split second for a car to veer and have this kind of impact,” stated Ragan. It’s an accident, though. It’s not a deliberate deed.

According to the prosecution, Macon was recognized by Green Light footage, documents proving the van was registered to his grandma, and other passengers who were inside the vehicle at the time. He was eventually arrested by the Detroit Police Department during a traffic stop, even though his grandmother had assured them he would turn himself in.

Lisa Coyle, the assistant prosecutor, said that Macon had plenty of opportunity to report the incident, even after he reportedly fled the scene, and that he should never have been driving.

“He told people allegedly that he knew he killed somebody and left them,” Coyle stated. “You have a duty to stop, help people, and notify the police when you hit that car. When he struck the car, when he returned home, and when he left that car on that street, he didn’t do it. He didn’t ever call the cops.

According to the defense, “people drive on suspended licenses all the time” and the court imposes personal obligations on them.

“This is not a trial; it is a hearsay document these are allegations,” Ragan stated. “To try this case now at arraignment, I disagree with that.”

Judge Burton, however, declined to lower the bond.

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“Not only do I find him to be a flight risk based on his past behavior, leaving the scene of the accident, I do think he is a danger to the community if he continues to drive,” he stated.

Macon’s next court date is Monday, January 13.

After graduating from high school, Richardson joined the Army and served for just over a year as a police officer with the Ninth Precinct. At the time of the collision, he was heading home from work.

On Thursday, members of the Detroit Police Department and their loved ones came together to honor Officer Cameron Richardson, who was murdered in a hit-and-run on the city’s east side early on Sunday morning.