Fight in parking lot under investigation, Ann Arbor police say
Police are investigating a fight this morning in a parking lot next to Starbucks in the 3600 block of Washtenaw Avenue on the east side of Ann Arbor.
So far, no charges have been filed.
A 20-year-old Saline woman was backing out of a parking spot at 2:45 a.m. and said another driver blocked her in, police said. That's when the woman and her passenger, a 24-year-old Northville man, got out to confront the other driver, police spokeswoman Lt. Renee Bush said.
The other driver, a 48-year-old man, got out of his car and a fight ensued, Bush said. In the end, the 24-year-old man had a scraped elbow and the 48-year-old man had a swollen cheek and scraped knuckle, police said.
A witness to the fight told a Starbucks employee to call police, Bush said.
Anyone with information can call the police department's tip line at (734) 794-6939.
Lee Higgins covers crime and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at (734) 623-2527 and email at leehiggins@annarbor.com.
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Comments
obviouscomment
Wed, Feb 9, 2011 : 12:15 a.m.
Let's just hope they don't put in a roundabout at the entrance from Washtenaw...that would be horrible
PhillyCheeseSteak
Tue, Feb 8, 2011 : 6:07 p.m.
This sounds like an unfortunate event, in part caused by the poor planning for parking in that part of Arborland. I almost never park in that area, because I know how tight and difficult parking is there. I think that Arborland's owners need to re-design the entire parking lot and service roads. Has anyone else noticed the "yield" sign in the entrance? Which lane yields? I've looked at that sign many, many times and have not been able to determine which lane is the primary lane, and which lane is the lane that is supposed to yield. The way it is now, the bigger, bolder vehicle forces its way through! (Not to mention the 2-way traffic just past the entrance, which no one seems to know about. So many times I've seen drivers entering Arborland in ALL the lanes, only to be surprised by a car driving straight at them, properly, in the outbound lane!)
CommonThought
Wed, Feb 9, 2011 : 12:20 a.m.
Before Arborland was rebuilt, the yield sign at the entrance was for westbound Washtenaw. The were to yield to the people coming in from the eastbound entrance since eastbound had a light at the intersection. Nevertheless, the whole lot is just bad.
Eric
Tue, Feb 8, 2011 : 12:12 a.m.
Seeing as I was there, let me clear some things up: 1) the younger couple blocked in the older gentleman which caused him to yell at them to move their car, 2) after the older gentleman yelled at them the younger couple pulled out of the parking lot and to the exit to Washtenaw Ave, 3) the younger couple then stopped their car and the young lady ran over a mound of snow to attack the older man who then proceeded to defend himself, and 4) the young girl, who claimed during the encounter to be under 18, proceeded to kick the older man when he held on to her shirt so that she would not leave before the police arrived, I understand that this reporter based his report on a statement from the police but maybe he should double check the facts before defaming someone's character.
PhillyCheeseSteak
Tue, Feb 8, 2011 : 6:10 p.m.
I hope that you are not too shaken up. You should express your concerns to the Arborland management because they are responsible for the bad design of that parking area.
RJA
Mon, Feb 7, 2011 : 7:41 p.m.
Starbucks has never been of interest to me. I do notice the parking lot is always full next to my dentist office. Would be nice to see signs like (dental office parking only). The parking lot is small as well. I usually back in to these small places, much easier to get out.
xmo
Mon, Feb 7, 2011 : 7:10 p.m.
Maybe we need a law to to out law Starbucks Coffee! More violence around a cup of coffee.
AdmiralMoose
Mon, Feb 7, 2011 : 6:24 p.m.
I'm kind of surprised that there aren't more daytime fights in front of the Arborland Starbucks. The parking lot is merely a cul-de-sac with stripes and precious little room to maneuver. But is it crowded at 2:45 a.m.?
CBCC
Mon, Feb 7, 2011 : 6:11 p.m.
I wonder if this is the same moron who cut me off on Washtenaw Ave and then when I tried to politely and properly pass him, started weaving back and forth. He pulled into Starbucks. Although I am a woman I really wanted to follow him and ask him why he would do such a thing, but I already know the answer: morons are morons. Do they hang out at Starbucks a lot?
lumberg48108
Mon, Feb 7, 2011 : 6:08 p.m.
I hate to be the usual cynic - but is this really news? A scraped elbow and swollen cheek? May I suggest a silo for news stories like the old newspaper style? Local News under one heading Briefs under another This is nothing more than a brief at the end of a page