Detroit Man Charged With Murder After Fatally Striking Father Of 5 With Van: Prosecutor

WARREN, MI — A Detroit man is facing murder charges after prosecutors said he fatally struck a father of five with his van during a dispute outside a Warren flea market last weekend, according to prosecutors.

The incident happened last Saturday at the County Line Flea Market in Warren, where officers found 59-year-old Mirhad Cehic pinned between a van and the building, according to prosecutors.

Medics took Cehic to Henry Ford Hospital in Warren where he died, according to prosecutors.

Zarick Lamont Johnson, 41, has been charged with first-degree murder, assault and battery (93-day misdemeanor) and felony – commission with a motor vehicle – adult advisory, which provides for Secretary of State driver's license sanctions.

He was placed in the Macomb County Jail without bond. His next court date is scheduled for Oct. 13.

If convicted, he faces life in prison.

"This is a terrible situation," Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido said. "One man is dead, another is allegedly assaulted and a third is charged with murder and could face the most severe punishment provided under Michigan law. A dispute should never end with a life being lost."

Prosecutors said the incident started with a dispute between brothers Senad and Mirhad Cehic and Johnson over a power washer outside the building located at 20900 Dequindre Road.

Johnson assaulted 53-year-old Senad before striking Mirhad with his 2004 Chevrolet Express van, according to prosecutors.

Investigators said Johnson then reversed the van and drove over Cehic again, pinning him against a wall of the trade center.

Witnesses intervened and pulled Johnson from the driver's seat and held him until officers arrived, according to prosecutors.

Mirhad's son, Alvin, told WXYZ his father had plenty more years to live.

"He just wanted us to be the best for ourselves," he told the news station. "He was a good father for sure, I'll tell you that. He made sure that we were good from the top to the bottom."

Family members created a GoFundMe page to help with the funeral and to support Mirhad's children.

"There are moments in life that shatter an entire family into a thousand pieces," Mirhad's nephew wrote on the page. "In a single instant, an unimaginably cruel and senseless event changed all of our lives forever."

Mirhad leaves behind five children — two daughters aged 13 and 16, and three adult children aged 23, 24, and 25, his wife and other close family members, according to the page.

"Mido was the person who held the family together and was their main financial provider," family members wrote. "He devoted himself to caring for his loved ones and, above all, was a source of stability, safety, and support for his children."