A 25-year-old Redford Township man sat in jail Friday after prosecutors accused him of robbing and carjacking a man at gunpoint in Sterling Heights, then leading police on a chase that started in Warren and ended with a crash in Detroit. Julian Christian-Alexander Jones now faces charges in two separate courts, with bond set at a combined $1.5 million between the two cases.
Gunpoint Robbery Inside a Mound Road Building
According to Macomb County prosecutors, as reported by Macomb Daily, Jones allegedly carjacked and robbed a man at gunpoint in Sterling Heights before leading police on the dangerous chase. Prosecutors said the robbery happened inside a commercial building on Mound Road, where Jones took the victim's phone, wallet, keys, Apple Watch and iPad at gunpoint before driving off in his own grey Explorer. The alleged robbery, carjacking and chase occurred Tuesday, per prosecutors.
Warren police officers later located the suspect vehicle and attempted a traffic stop. Prosecutors said Jones responded by driving away at a high rate of speed, running red traffic signals and heading into oncoming traffic as the pursuit unfolded.
Chase Ends in a Crash, Foot Pursuit and Taser
The chase that began in Warren ultimately ended with a crash in Detroit, the same report states. Jones crashed the Explorer and then fled on foot while allegedly carrying a handgun, throwing the weapon during the foot chase before officers deployed a Taser. He stopped once the Taser was used, according to the account relayed by the outlet's report.
Jones was formally charged Friday with two capital offenses, carjacking and armed robbery, in 41A District Court in Sterling Heights. Judge Kimberley Wiegand, who arraigned him, set his bond at $1 million cash or surety only in that proceeding.
Separate Warren Charges and a $500,000 Bond
In Warren, Jones was arraigned by Judge Steven Bieda of the 37th District Court on additional charges stemming from the chase, including receiving and concealing a stolen motor vehicle, third-degree fleeing police and carrying a concealed weapon. The same report also lists charges of resisting arrest, punishable by up to two years in prison, and driving without a license, a 93-day misdemeanor, with the stolen vehicle, fleeing and weapon charges each carrying a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment. Bieda set Jones's bond at $500,000 cash or surety in the Warren case.
County jail records cited in the report also show Jones has a pending domestic violence charge in Redford, a carrying concealed weapon charge in Wayne County, two driving infractions in Livonia and a traffic case in Detroit.
Pursuits Through Macomb County Have Turned Deadly Before
Police chases that spill across Macomb County and into Detroit have carried real risk before. In May 2024, a driver fleeing a Warren police pursuit that began near Eight Mile and Mound roads crashed and rolled over on Detroit's east side, ejecting the driver, who died from his injuries, according to Macomb Daily's earlier reporting on that case. A separate 2022 case involved a 37-year-old Sterling Heights man accused of targeting a senior citizen, as detailed by the Detroit News.
