*A traffic crash involving a Black Detroit woman and an 18-year-old Arab American driver has grown into a tense public dispute involving members of Detroit’s Black and Muslim communities, after Susan Glass-Smith alleged racial slurs, threats and other misconduct following the Sept. 12 collision.
The crash happened around 10:16 p.m. near Paul Drive and the Southfield Freeway service drive. Authorities say the 18-year-old driver allegedly disregarded a traffic signal and struck Glass-Smith’s vehicle.
What happened afterward has become the center of the controversy. Glass-Smith says she was surrounded by dozens of men, subjected to racial slurs and threatened while waiting for police. Her attorneys are now seeking hate-crime charges, while videos surrounding the incident and a later confrontation involving New Era Detroit have amplified tensions between some Black activists and members of the area’s Muslim and Arab American communities.
The teen was later charged with two misdemeanors related to leaving the crash scene, but no hate-crime charges had been announced as of Oct. 1. Arab American community figures have also condemned the racial language while warning against allowing the alleged actions of individuals to characterize an entire community.
The unresolved question now centers on what happened after the collision — and whether investigators find enough evidence to support the more serious charges Glass-Smith’s attorneys are seeking.
Scroll to continue reading
Glass-Smith Describes What Happened After the Crash
Glass-Smith says what followed the collision went far beyond a traffic accident.
“It was surrounded by 20-30 men. They opened all of my car doors,” she told WXYZ Detroit.
She said someone took her purse and alleged that racial slurs were directed at her. Glass-Smith also said a man who attempted to help was confronted by people wielding a baseball bat.
Attorney Johnny Hawkins argues those allegations warrant additional investigation and hate-crime charges.
“We think that the elements and facts support the bringing a hate crime towards these individuals,” Hawkins told WXYZ.
What Prosecutors Have — and Haven’t — Charged
The legal status is narrower than the controversy spreading online.
The 18-year-old driver faces two misdemeanors connected to allegedly leaving the crash scene. A separate warrant request involving a 20-year-old Detroit man over an incident following the collision was denied because prosecutors said there was insufficient evidence and requested additional police investigation.
The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office has said any further charging decision will be based on the evidence and law after police complete their investigation.
That means Glass-Smith’s attorneys’ demand for hate-crime prosecution remains a request, not a determination by authorities.
Viral Videos Turn Crash Into a Wider Dispute
The incident gained broader attention after videos circulated online and members of activist organization New Era Detroit confronted people in the neighborhood.
Earlier FOX 2 Detroit coverage of the viral confrontation documented how the traffic case developed into a larger public dispute.
Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison subsequently said his department would not tolerate threats, intimidation or harassment while cautioning against allowing alleged conduct by individuals to characterize Detroit’s wider Arab American community.
Community Voices Condemn the Racial Language
Mohamad Sallam, who said people were visiting his home following his brother’s death that day, told WXYZ he did not know the people shown using racial slurs in viral footage.
“We are not okay with that, we told them so many times to leave,” Sallam said.
Nabih Ayad of the Arab American Civil Rights League said the organization contacted Glass-Smith to apologize for what she experienced and urged against allowing one incident to define an entire community.
For now, the Sept. 12 collision, the alleged conduct afterward and the later viral confrontation remain distinct pieces of an investigation that has already generated far more controversy than criminal charges. Whether prosecutors ultimately authorize additional charges will depend on what Detroit police submit as that investigation continues.
(If You Like/Appreciate This EURweb Story, Please SHARE it!)
RELATED NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Anti-Trump Billboard in Dearborn, Michigan Written In Arabic; Deliberately Not Translated
We Publish Breaking News 24/7. Don’t Miss Out! Sign up for our Free daily newsletter HERE.
