A Michigan man warned police that he was worried about his safety — then he was found unresponsive on the sidewalk, fighting for his life.
Haider Al Fadawi, 40, visited the Dearborn Police station on Saturday about an alleged assault that occurred on August 21 and to “express concern for his safety,” police said. Al Fadawi, who recorded the exchange, was brushed off by authorities, according to his lawyers.
Later that day, at around 10.45 p.m., Al Fadawi was walking across Michigan Avenue in Dearborn when a dark-colored SUV crossed lanes of traffic, accelerated, and struck him, Dearborn Police said.
The incident appeared to be intentional, authorities said.
When officers found Al Fadawi, he was lying unresponsive on the sidewalk and suffering from life-threatening injuries. They immediately began life-saving measures before taking him to a local hospital.
Several blocks from the crash, witnesses saw the SUV driver abandon his car and flee on foot, police said. He then turned himself in 30 minutes later.
Police arrested 38-year-old Murtadha Jabbar Alizairij. He is being held in jail on a $750,000 cash bond.
The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office charged him with three felony charges: assault with intent to murder, assault with intent to do great bodily harm, and assault with a dangerous weapon. He was arraigned Monday, where a judge ordered him to wear a GPS tether device.
He’s next set to appear in court on September 3.
Al Fadawi remains in the hospital and is in critical but stable condition, according to police. He’s suffering from a traumatic brain injury, his lawyer Amir Makled told Fox2.
“He’s really going to have a very difficult quality of life moving forward, if he survives,” Makled said. “We want justice for Haider. We want to confirm that he’s going to have a full recovery, and that’s the very first and most important thing.”
The attorney told WXYZ that his client is a father to seven children and is a vibrant part of the community. “It’s unfathomable that somebody would want to do something so intentionally to hurt someone else over something so minuscule,” Makled said.
An ongoing police investigation revealed that Al Fadawi and Alizairij had “closely known each other for over 20 years.”
Police said the incident arose from a “business dispute.” Al Fadawi worked as a truck driver for Alizairij before he was let go a few months ago after he complained about inadequate insurance on the vehicles, his attorney told WXYZ.
Al Fadawi “received a traffic ticket because of that, and the company failed to respond to the traffic ticket, and that’s what upset Haidar so much,” Makled told the outlet. “That’s what caused this dispute, it’s over a $500 traffic ticket.”
“There is a video of the incident, but there are many videos of the victim threatening my client, threatening his family, insulting everybody. This has been building up,” Abed Hammoud, attorney for Alizairij, told WXYZ.
The details of the alleged assault that occurred on August 21 are not immediately available.
The Independent has reached out to their lawyers for more information.
“Public safety is our highest priority and we take every concern seriously. We understand the community has questions and are committed to ensuring trust through transparency and accountability,” Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shahin said in a statement.
Police said they are reviewing Al Fadawi’s interaction with officers during his visit to the police station.
“Every individual who interacts with the Dearborn Police Department must be treated with dignity, respect, and empathy—always,” Dearborn Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud said in a statement. “While the suspect is in custody and that investigation moves forward, we are also launching a thorough review of the victim’s prior interactions with our department. Trust and accountability are not optional—they are required.”
