Report of kidnapping sparks bizarre chase on Detroit’s west side

Driver will be arraigned Tuesday with fleeing and eluding, resisting and obstructing arrest, and receiving and concealing stolen property

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – In the 6 p.m. broadcast, Local 4 told you about a bizarre police chase, and on Monday night, we have the video to prove it.

After leading Southfield police on a chase, a man and woman were found hiding in garbage cans.

The chase ended against a tree seen in the video player above and a few steps in the opposite direction, and you can see why the driver probably lost control before crashing.

911 operator: “Southfield 911.”

Caller: “There’s a man trying to force a lady into an SUV.”

At around 7:30 p.m. Sunday (Aug. 21), police got a few calls about a woman possibly being kidnapped near Eight Mile Road and Shiawassee Street in Southfield.

When police responded, the man and woman fled.

Officer: “There they go, (and) they’re taking off.”

The escape on foot began a five-mile chase, police say.

Officer: “We’re going to go eastbound on 8 Mile (Road). Coming up on speeds of 100 miles per hour.”

The driver was going up to 100 miles an hour, even on the Southfield Service Drive, while nearly hitting a few cars and blowing a red light at 7 Mile Road at 80 miles an hour.

Read: ‘Bizarre’ Southfield chase ends with driver, woman thought to be kidnapped both hiding in trash cans

The chase eventually sped into a north Rosedale neighborhood, where they crashed into a tree.

Officer: “Crashed out. Pilgrim (Street) and Ashton (Road).”

After crashing their vehicle, police say the male driver, 26, and the woman, 23, ran.

“The story is that our block captain has everyone’s number,” said George Williams.

It was at that point that some alert neighbors came into play.

The Rosedale neighborhood block captain started calling around asking other neighbors to check their cameras, and it was a noteworthy neighbor who responded.

“She got a response from Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, who happened to look at her monitoring system and saw the guy in her backyard,” Williams said.

Moments later, police found a man hiding in the trash can seen in the video player above.

Officer: “Don’t move!”

Police say they found the woman a few houses away in another trash can.

“The Rosedale neighborhood, we’re a tight knit,” Williams said. “I’ve been here over 40 years. We all have each other’s numbers, so we’re able to reach out to each other and get problems solved. It’s just that simple.”

The driver of the SUV will be arraigned Tuesday with fleeing and eluding, resisting and obstructing arrest, and receiving and concealing stolen property.

While she wasn’t complying with the police, the woman was released.


About the Authors

Jason is Local 4’s utility infielder. In addition to anchoring the morning newscast, he often reports on a variety of stories from the tragic, like the shootings at Michigan State, to the off-beat, like great gas station food.

Brandon Carr is a digital content producer for ClickOnDetroit and has been with WDIV Local 4 since November 2021. Brandon is the 2015 Solomon Kinloch Humanitarian award recipient for Community Service.

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