A Detroit priest sprinted into his church parking lot Monday evening and tackled a man he says had just fled a crash, a brief but dramatic confrontation that was caught on video. The clash outside St. Joseph Shrine is now fueling a wider conversation across the city about how far residents should go when they see vehicles stolen or stripped, adding a vivid neighborhood snapshot to a problem that has long dogged Detroit.
Video shows the takedown
As reported by FOX 2 Detroit, Reverend Canon Jean‑Baptiste Commins said he heard tires squeal and a loud crash in his church parking lot, then ran toward the commotion. FOX 2’s footage shows Commins chasing and tackling a young man who, the priest said, was running from the scene with only one shoe on. The station’s brief segment does not indicate whether police arrested or charged the man.
Who is Canon Commins
Canon Jean‑Baptiste Commins serves as rector at St. Joseph Shrine, which the Institute of Christ the King lists at 1828 Jay Street in Detroit. The shrine’s website and the Archdiocese identify Commins as the parish rector, and he has been a visible figure leading services and neighborhood events at the historic church.
Why people are watching
The incident plugged directly into broader frustration over auto theft in the city. Local reporting shows Detroit continues to experience hundreds of vehicle thefts annually, and residents have grown more likely to chase down or track stolen cars themselves. As BridgeDetroit reported, Detroit logged about 2,189 auto thefts as of May 15 this year, roughly 15 per day, and the recent spike has left many people feeling they must act quickly when a theft happens.
Legal line between defense and arrest
Michigan law allows a private person to make an arrest in limited circumstances, notably for felonies, under the state criminal procedure code. The statute on arrests by private persons is found at MCL 764.16. Separately, the Self‑Defense Act, MCL 780.972, permits someone who is not committing a crime to use non‑deadly force without a duty to retreat in certain situations, although whether any intervention is lawful depends on the specific facts and on how prosecutors and judges interpret them.
Video like the FOX 2 clip routinely raises the same tough questions: when is it lawful for a bystander to step in, and when does an attempt to detain someone turn into its own legal risk. For now, the footage stands as a dramatic neighborhood moment, and officials or prosecutors would ultimately decide whether any charges are warranted.
