SHELBY TOWNSHIP, Mich. – An Oakland County man who stole a shopping cart full of items from a Macomb County store on Black Friday has been charged for leading police on a high-speed chase that started in a Chick-fil-A drive-thru.
Police said on Friday (Nov. 25), Wellington Inoa, 36, of Pontiac, left the the Marshalls & HomeGoods on Hall Road in Shelby Township with a shopping cart full of merchandise he didn’t pay for.
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Officers were called to the area and found Inoa’s pickup truck in the drive-thru of a nearby Chick-fil-A restaurant, they said. When police pulled in front of the pickup, Inoa backed up over the curb and fled, authorities said.
He drove forward, intentionally rammed into another officer’s car, and fled west on Hall Road, according to police. Officers said he was speeding and running red lights until he struck a northbound vehicle on Van Dyke Avenue.
After the crash, Inoa got out of the pickup and ran from Shelby Township officers. He was arrested after a short foot chase.
Police said they found drugs and a machete in the pickup. There was merchandise all over the road, according to authorities.
No injuries were reported, but “many” vehicles were damaged, police said.
“This was a very dangerous situation for our police officers and our community,” Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said. “This blatant disregard for the law has to stop, or innocent lives will be lost. This situation could have been much worse.”
Inoa is charged with:
- Assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder -- a 10-year felony.
- Possession of methamphetamine -- a 10-year felony.
- Third-degree fleeing police -- a five-year felony.
- Carrying a concealed weapon -- a five-year felony.
- First-degree retail fraud -- a a five-year felony.
- Assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer -- a two-year felony.
He was arraigned Sunday and given a $50,000 bond, cash/surety, no 10%.
A probable cause conference is scheduled for Dec. 12, and a preliminary examination is scheduled for Dec. 19.
