A man wanted in connection with a felony knife assault in Roseville led Eastpointe police on a predawn chase that ended with him ramming a patrol cruiser at 8 Mile Road, then fleeing on foot with a knife before officers caught up with him. Police say the entire episode unfolded in under half an hour, beginning at 2:32 a.m. Friday and ending with the man in custody at the Eastpointe Police Department.
A Tip From Roseville Sets Off The Chase
According to ClickOnDetroit, Eastpointe Police began investigating at 2:32 a.m. Friday after being alerted about a wanted male suspect in Roseville. Police said the man had “committed a felony assault with a knife” and had driven away from Roseville Police in a blue Dodge Caliber. Just five minutes later, at 2:37 a.m., an Eastpointe officer spotted the suspect on westbound 9 Mile Road coming from I-94, and officers began pursuing him along 9 Mile.
The outlet reports the suspect drove erratically before fleeing an attempted traffic stop, then swerved across lanes and into oncoming traffic, at one point attempting to hit a police cruiser head-on. The pursuit continued south on Gratiot Road until it reached 8 Mile Road, where the suspect struck an Eastpointe police cruiser.
Vehicle Disabled, Suspect Runs With A Knife
Per the same report, the sergeant overseeing the pursuit disabled the suspect's vehicle at that point to prevent the danger to officers and the public from escalating further. The man then allegedly ran from officers with a knife still in hand. He was located shortly afterward and arrested without further incident, the report states.
Eastpointe officers were assisted during the chase and arrest by Warren Police, a Michigan State Police K9 Unit, and members of the Wayne County Auto Theft Unit, according to the same account. The man was being held at the Eastpointe Police Department and was expected to be arraigned Friday at 1 p.m., though it is not established whether that arraignment took place or what charges were ultimately filed.
A Familiar Pattern In Macomb County
This is not the only recent Macomb County case involving a vehicle rammed into a police cruiser and a suspect approaching officers with a knife. In a separate Roseville case detailed by ClickOnDetroit, Daniel Minnick was accused of ramming his car into a cruiser at the Roseville Police Department and approaching officers with a knife. Minnick pleaded no contest to his charges on Sept. 17, and Judge Matthew P. Sabaugh accepted the plea under a Cobbs agreement of no incarceration.
Michigan law does address assaults involving a dangerous weapon such as a knife. Under Michigan Legislature statute MCL 750.82, such a felony can carry a prison sentence of up to four years, a fine of up to $2,000, or both — though it has not been established whether that specific statute applies to the allegations in Friday's Eastpointe case.
