ROYAL OAK, Mich. – A 31-year-old Royal Oak man suspected of killing his father and leaving him with his hands and legs bound was arrested after "violently" assaulting officers and leading them on a wild chase through several counties, according to authorities.
Royal Oak police were called at 5:52 p.m. Thursday to a home in the 3700 block of Elmhurst Avenue. Relatives said they were concerned about the victim after repeated phone calls to the home went unanswered.
Family members said the 73-year-old father lived at the home with his 31-year-old son.
Officers found the father dead inside the house with his hands and legs bound, according to authorities. The father's vehicle and his son were missing, police said.
During the investigation, police said a Berrien County deputy encountered the son on I-94 near the Indiana border, where the vehicle had run out of gas.
Around the same time, Gratiot County deputies were called Thursday evening to investigate a man acting erratically at a gas station. The man was identified as the son.
Deputies were told the man was wanted in connection with the Royal Oak homicide investigation.
When they tried to take the man into custody, he "violently" assaulted the deputies and fled in the vehicle, sparking an hour-long chase through several counties, according to authorities.
Gratiot County deputies followed the vehicle through Clinton, Ingham and Livingston counties while other authorities joined and deployed spike strips, disabling all four tires of the vehicle, police said.
The vehicle was disabled on I-96 in Livingston County near Howell, where the man was taken into custody with the help of Livingston County deputies, officials said.
There were no injuries reported during the chase, according to police.
Officials took the son to a hospital to be evaluated for minor injuries. He is in custody while Royal Oak detectives investigate his father's death.
Police believe the father died earlier this week, and an autopsy is scheduled for Friday.