DETROIT – A 42-year-old Detroit man was charged Friday in connection with a domestic violence incident and a high-speed chase sparked by a kidnapping and an Amber Alert.
Grady Barrett is accused of approaching a 24-year-old Detroit woman around 9:30 p.m. Monday while she was walking near Grove and Schaefer streets. Barrett asked her to talk, and when she kept walking, he grabbed her arms, police said.
When the woman pulled away, Barrett is accused of punching and strangling her before throwing her to the ground. He allegedly took her cellphone and demanded she get into his vehicle, police said.
Barrett was charged with assault by strangulation, larceny from a person and domestic violence.
Barrett was also accused of kidnapping a young child and leading police on a chase that reached speeds of 100 mph.
Barrett is accused of kidnapping 2-year-old Sondra Renee from the Detroit home of her mother's relative. An Amber Alert was issued, and Barrett is accused of leading a chase involving Monroe County sheriff's deputies, Detroit Police Department officers, Michigan State Police troopers and Wayne County sheriff's deputies.
Police tried to stop Barrett several times during the chase, and he is accused of trying to strike an MSP vehicle.
He crashed around 9:45 a.m. Tuesday near the intersection of Seven Mile Road and Meyers Street, police said.. Police took him into custody, and the child was found safe.
Barrett is charged with third-degree fleeing and eluding, felonious assault and fourth-degree child abuse.
Barrett was arraigned Friday at 36th District Court.
A probable-cause conference is scheduled for Aug. 11, and a preliminary examination is scheduled for Aug. 18.
Dashcam video shows chase
The video comes from a city of Monroe police car and shows the first few moments of the chase, when an officer sees the passenger of a pickup looking back. The video shows the driver was initially unsure what to do.
You can watch the video below.
The Monroe police officer spotted Grady Barrett's pickup on I-275 North and radioed for backup. He turned on his lights and siren to try to pull the pickup truck over.
"He's not pulling over, not speeding off yet," the officer said.
That quickly changed as a Michigan State Police trooper took the lead and tried to force the pickup over. But after some cat and mouse, the pickup was able to get ahead as speeds soared into the triple digits.
The chase continued on I-94, I-96 and the Southfield Freeway before moving to surface streets.
A trooper finally spun the pickup out of control off 7 Mile Road onto Meyers Road.
Sondra Renee, 2, was rescued from the crashed pickup. She was not in a car seat.
The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office has the warrant and is reviewing it regarding two people who were arrested after the chase. Nobody is expected to be arraigned Wednesday.
More on Grady Barrett
According to the Michigan Department of Corrections, Barrett, 42, skipped out on probation in November 2012 in Wayne County.
Barrette went to prison in 1995 for assault and battery, carrying a concealed weapon and attempting to receive stolen property.
Barrett allegedly took 2-year-old Sondra Renee at knifepoint Tuesday morning from her aunt's home on Detroit’s west side. Police said the child belongs to Barrett's girlfriend and he is not the biological parent.
A machete was later seen sitting on the dashboard of Barrett's vehicle after the chase.
"They engaged in a pursuit that lasted quite some time, about 50 minutes, through several cities and counties," Detroit Police Deputy Chief David LeValley said.
Barrett was injured in the crash and taken to a hospital under arrest. A second person in the vehicle was taken into custody and the child was recovered safe.