An Oakland County judge has tapped the brakes on a high-profile Orion Township carjacking case, ordering a psychiatric competency evaluation for Mauriel Dashawn Hearn, the 25-year-old accused of shooting a woman and stealing her car outside the Baldwin Commons shopping center. Hearn remains behind bars after his arraignment, with the court denying bond on public-safety and flight-risk grounds.
Judge Laura Polizzi ordered the competency exam and cleared the preliminary-exam date from the court calendar, effectively putting the case on hold while doctors weigh in. A hearing to review the results is set for Aug. 4, according to The Oakland Press. Defense lawyers raised concerns about whether Hearn can understand what is happening in court, which triggered the judge’s order.
How the attack unfolded
The shooting and carjacking unfolded in the middle of the early-evening rush on May 19, around 5:43 p.m., near the Old Navy store at Baldwin Commons. Investigators say Hearn left an outdoor table at a Panera and ran toward a woman who was walking out of the store with her child. Authorities report he shot her in the hip, grabbed her car keys, and sped off in her vehicle.
Deputies used a mix of Flock license-plate cameras and OnStar technology to track the stolen car, according to law enforcement accounts. The chase wound its way to Groveland Township, where the pursuit ended, and the suspect was caught after a foot chase. The victim suffered what officials described as a near-arterial hip wound and needed surgery, but she is expected to recover, according to ClickOnDetroit.
Charges and courtroom moves
The Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office says Hearn is facing a long list of charges: carjacking, assault with intent to murder, fleeing a police officer, resisting a police officer, carrying a concealed weapon, and three counts of felony firearm, according to a press release from the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office. He entered a not-guilty plea and was denied bond.
In court, defense counsel said she does not believe Hearn is currently able to participate meaningfully in his own case, a concern that has now been formally entered into the record and noted in local coverage by CBS Detroit. That skepticism about his mental fitness is what led to the ordered competency exam and the paused timeline.
Past conviction and prosecutor response
Officials say Hearn was already on probation at the time of the Orion Township shooting, tied to a 2024 Washtenaw County case in which he pleaded guilty to assault with intent to do great bodily harm and received a two-year probation sentence. Local law enforcement leaders publicly criticized that outcome, while Washtenaw County prosecutors defended it as consistent with state sentencing guidelines, according to ClickOnDetroit.
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald has said the victims “should never have been placed in this dangerous situation” and vowed to hold Hearn accountable in the current case.
What a competency exam means
Under Michigan law, when a judge has reason to question a defendant’s competence, the court can order an evaluation through the state’s Center for Forensic Psychiatry or another certified facility. That facility must then send a report back to the court, under procedures laid out in the state mental-health code.
The evaluation is not about whether the defendant did what is alleged. Instead, it focuses on whether the person understands the nature of the proceedings and can work with their lawyer. If a defendant is found incompetent, criminal hearings are put on hold until, and only if, the person is restored to competency, per Michigan statutory guidance.
Hearn is scheduled to return to court on Aug. 4, so the judge can review the evaluation results. Those findings will determine whether the case moves on to a preliminary examination and potentially a trial. In the meantime, both the shooting and the new competency order are fueling renewed scrutiny of prior sentencing decisions as the community watches how this case plays out in the courts.
