DETROIT – A Michigan State Police helicopter played a key role in locating and apprehending four suspects believed to be connected to a series of pharmacy break-ins across Metro Detroit.
Authorities said the helicopter was called in to assist a multi-jurisdictional task force investigating the break-ins. Just before midnight on Wednesday, June 25, the helicopter spotted a pharmacy in Novi being broken into.
Police on the ground arrested three suspects inside the pharmacy while the helicopter tracked a fourth suspect who fled in a vehicle toward Detroit.
Shortly before 12:15 a.m., the driver abandoned the vehicle on Detroit’s west side and tried to escape on foot. The helicopter continued to follow the suspect’s movements.
Officers, including K-9 units, were able to arrest the suspect.
Video footage from the Michigan State Police helicopter shows the pursuit and arrests.
First Lt. Mike Shaw of the Michigan State Police praised the helicopter crew’s efforts.
“Being able to actually catch these people breaking into their, it’s kind of hard to argue in court that it wasn’t you. It’s very cool,” Shaw said.
Shaw said the aviation unit provides troopers with an additional vantage point and also serves as a warning to criminals on the run.
“You never know who’s watching, right? Anywhere we go these days, there is always a camera around. Sometimes a camera just happens to be up in a helicopter,” Shaw said.
Shaw added that the helicopter can be used to assist in high-speed police pursuits, surveillance, searches, and even forest fires.
“One of the biggest things for us is it also provides safety for the troopers and officers on scene,” Shaw said.
The investigation is ongoing, with multiple state and local agencies working together. So far, four suspects have been arrested.