A teen driver became so angry at the sight of a male juvenile that he allegedly struck him with a truck without confirming who he was in the first place. That’s what happened in Michigan when a 19-year-old driver, who has been charged with assault with intent to murder, hit a 14-year-old victim while he was riding a mini-bike in Bay City, police say. The driver then not only fled the scene, but also abandoned the pickup truck. While it took police a few weeks to piece together what happened, they soon discovered that the victim was not who the driver thought he was.
14-year-old Bentley Burkhart suffered major injuries in hit-and-run
On October 22 at around 4:45 p.m., officers responded to a call from Maplewood Park near First Street and North Sheridan Street involving a hit-and-run between a pickup truck driven by 19-year-old Owen Wheeler and the victim, 14-year-old Bentley Burkhart, according to reports from MLive and Law & Crime.
According to reports from officers, multiple witnesses called 911 upon seeing the collision. When police arrived at the scene, Burkhart was sitting on a bench, recovering, but he had difficulty breathing and had severe back pain. He told officers he was driving his gas-powered minibike at around 15 mph on the Bay City Railtrail, a paved, non-motorized trail system in the city, when he was struck from behind by a large vehicle, though he had no idea why this happened.
After gathering video from witnesses and nearby surveillance cameras, police pieced together that Burkhart had been hit “intentionally” by a green 1997 Dodge Ram pickup truck that had been travelling roughly 40 miles per hour. Court documents say the footage shows the truck, which had two other passengers inside, heading south on a sidewalk and a passenger in the front seat hanging his head and torso from the open window while shouting at the victim
One witness said, “The driver of the pickup was screaming profanities at the guy on the minibike. The truck was moving pretty quick, like he wanted to just run him over.”
Burkhart attempted to avoid a collision, but the Ram struck him in the rear. An officer reports that the impact launched the victim from his bike and onto a grassy area.
Burkhart was transported by paramedics to a hospital in Saginaw, where doctors said that he had suffered two spinal compression fractures. A report by local outlet WNEM said that Burkhart was released on the morning of October 23, but his stepfather, Steven Smith, says the family fear his injuries could be worse.
“His whole left side is in an excruciating amount of pain. He has two fractured discs in his back,” Smith said. “They said he won’t need surgery, but we’re not sure yet for a couple more days. We have to go back in two weeks and do a follow up and find out.”
19-year-old Owen Wheeler turned himself in to police
It took police about an hour to locate the Dodge Ram, which had been abandoned on 10 Street near North Lincoln Street with its license plates removed. However, earlier footage had already revealed what the vehicle’s license plate was and led police to Owen Wheeler, who had been charged in 2025 for carrying a concealed weapon and open alcohol in a vehicle.
Police say they also received tips that Wheeler had been “bragging about running a kid over on Snapchat.” However, he had allegedly changed his story fast, because the following day he claimed on Snapchat that his truck had been stolen and was used to strike the kid.
Through a tip from an Essexville public safety officer and facial recognition software, police identified the two passengers as a 16-year-old boy and a 20-year-old man. The latter witness told detectives that Wheeler “became enraged … like flipping a switch” when he saw Burkhart, though the driver had mistakenly identified the rider as someone else. He also said the person who was dangling out of the passenger’s seat window and hurling profanities was the 16-year-old, who was also mistakenly upset by Burkhart’s presence.
The 20-year-old said he “was in shock after it happened,” though “the collision did not seem to affect Wheeler, he was just concentrating on the road.”
On November 4, Owen Wheeler turned himself in at the Bay County Courthouse in connection with the hit-and-run, according to a press release by the Bay City Department of Public Safety. He was booked at Bay County Jail and faces multiple felony counts.
A GoFundMe has been started by Burkhart’s mother, Nicole Smith, for his medical bills and has raised $1,630 at the time of writing.
