What started as a routine call about someone swiping plants from a nursery in Eastpointe turned into a chaotic overnight chase that left a police officer run over, a lawnmower ditched in the middle of 8 Mile Road, and a 37-year-old Detroit man arrested. Police say the ordeal began around 1:40 a.m. Friday, September 25, 2026, at English Gardens near 9 Mile and Kelly roads, when officers responded to a report of plant theft.
According to ClickOnDetroit, officers told the man he was being arrested for the alleged theft, but he sped off in a pickup truck hauling a trailer with a lawnmower attached. As he fled, the trailer ran over an officer, who is expected to be okay, the station reported. Police were responding to a report of plant theft at the garden center.
The pursuit didn't stay contained to Eastpointe for long. Police chased the driver to 8 Mile and Mound, where a tire blew out and the trailer detached from the truck, leaving the lawnmower abandoned in the middle of the road, per the same ClickOnDetroit report. The suspect kept going on foot, allegedly throwing lawn chairs and other items at pursuing officers before he was tased and taken into custody.
Warren Police Joined the Foot Pursuit
Warren police were involved in the foot pursuit, during which the suspect continued on foot and was tased. Eastpointe police were involved in another cross-border pursuit in December 2025, when a shooting suspect fled onto I-94 at speeds over 120 mph before being caught in Macomb County, as Hoodline reported in its prior coverage of that case.
The Eastpointe Police Department, now led by Police Chief Corey Haines since his appointment in January 2024, oversees a force of 44 sworn officers, including the chief, deputy chief, and command structure, according to background from C & G Newspapers. English Gardens, the nursery targeted in the alleged theft, is near 9 Mile and Kelly roads.
What Charges Could Follow
The suspect now faces significant legal exposure under Michigan law. Fleeing and eluding a uniformed officer in a marked vehicle is a felony under Michigan Motor Vehicle Code MCL 257.602a, with penalties ranging from up to two years for a fourth-degree offense to as much as 15 years if a death results, according to the Michigan Legislature's statutory text. Separately, Michigan Penal Code MCL 750.81d classifies assaulting, resisting, or obstructing an officer as a felony carrying up to two years in prison, a term that climbs to four years if the officer's injuries require medical attention.
Any prosecution will unfold under an unusually strict local policy. Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido instituted a zero-tolerance approach in June 2025 that eliminated plea bargains for fleeing and eluding charges, a move that followed a surge in dangerous pursuits, as reported by CBS News. The station also noted that annual fleeing and eluding cases in Macomb County nearly doubled over five years, climbing from 226 recorded cases in 2019 to 403 in 2024.
The Detroit man was arrested after the alleged assault on an officer.
