DETROIT – Police said a driver was using his vehicle as a weapon when his truck collided with patrol car Friday morning.
It happened in the area of East Jefferson Avenue and Eastlawn Street. Police said the man streamed the entire encounter on Facebook Live.
“He targeted these officers,” said Detroit Police Chief James Craig. “This thing started in Macomb County at some point Warren PD got involved in a brief pursuit."
Local 4 obtained the Facebook Live video. In it the suspect bragged while speeding through Macomb County and Warren. He was able to lose officers during the chase, and he continued into Detroit.
“At that point, he was still live on Facebook and it appeared he was baiting the officers," Craig said.
When officers saw him pass the station they tried to make a traffic stop while he continued to travel at a high rate of speed, police said. During that interaction police turned on their overhead lights and the suspect stopped, made a u-turn and starting going toward the patrol cars at a high rate of speed, according to police.
“Then he leaves that location, goes a short distance and as the officers were trying to figure out what just happened the suspect reappears. He pulls in behind the police vehicle and it was at that time the officers approached and got the suspect out of the vehicle,” Craig said.
This is not the suspect’s first run-in with police. In 2017 he was accused of stealing an EMS rig for a hospital, but the case was dismissed due to reason of insanity.
“We have to fix the mental health system. We talk about it for a week and then we go on to other business,” Craig said. “This suspect decided that he would use as a weapon his vehicle whether he had a gun or a vehicle, equally dangerous.”
Police said the suspect is in custody and is expected to face charges of assault of a police officer and reckless driving.
READ: Driver allegedly live streams police chase and crash in Detroit