Oakland County deputies say a late-night trip to pick up a friend turned into a harrowing ordeal for a 23-year-old Eastpointe man, ending with a foot chase at a Pontiac market and a suspect in jail with no bond.
Prosecutors allege that 20-year-old Demarco Roosevelt Bradberry Jr., of Detroit, forced the Eastpointe man into a car at gunpoint, ordered him to drive to Pontiac, and threatened to shoot him if he did not do what he was told. The victim managed to bolt from the vehicle at a downtown market, call for help, and set off a fast-moving investigation that led deputies to a Pontiac home and, ultimately, a traffic stop and arrest.
According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, Bradberry is now facing multiple felony charges. Deputies say they recovered what appeared to be a plastic air-powered handgun from his waistband at the time of his arrest. He is being held in the Oakland County Jail after a judge denied bond at his arraignment.
How Deputies Say It Unfolded
According to The Oakland Press, the Eastpointe man had driven to Detroit to pick up a female acquaintance when Bradberry allegedly climbed into the vehicle, armed with what appeared to be a handgun, and ordered him to head to Pontiac instead.
Deputies told the paper that the victim finally saw his chance at People's Market on Auburn Avenue, where he ran from the car on foot and called police. Investigators later tracked Bradberry to a residence in the 100 block of Carriage Circle in Pontiac, the outlet reported.
The sheriff’s SWAT team helped search the home before deputies spotted Bradberry leaving in a vehicle, pulled him over, and took him into custody, the Sheriff’s Office told the paper.
Charges, Arraignment And Weapon Recovered
Bradberry was arraigned in the 50th District Court, where a judge denied bond, according to the report. Prosecutors have charged him with armed robbery, unlawful imprisonment, carrying a concealed weapon with unlawful intent, and three counts of felony firearm, all tied to the air-powered handgun deputies say they seized.
"Imagine how terrifying it would be," Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard told The Oakland Press, describing the ordeal from the victim’s perspective.
Context: Why Pontiac Residents Are On Edge
The case lands in a tense moment for Pontiac. The city has been grappling with a spring marked by shootings and armed robberies that have stretched police resources and rattled neighborhoods.
In one recent incident, Central Avenue Horror detailed a deadly shooting inside a Pontiac home that investigators say underscores an uptick in gun violence. Community leaders and prosecutors often talk about coordinated enforcement and tougher prosecutions as part of the answer, while deputies continue to stress public tips and patrols as key tools for staying ahead of fast-moving crimes.
What’s Next
Bradberry remains in the Oakland County Jail and is expected to return to court as prosecutors build their case, according to sheriff’s office statements reported by The Oakland Press. Anyone with information about the alleged kidnapping and robbery is urged to contact the Oakland County Sheriff's Office or Crime Stoppers.
The investigation centers on People's Market at 700 Auburn Avenue and the 100 block of Carriage Circle in Pontiac, which authorities say are the key locations in the case.
