Police call off search for 2 men near I-94 and Zeeb Road after high-speed chase, no arrests made
Update: Suspects in high-speed chase no longer in area
Local police were reportedly looking for two armed men who led them on a high-speed chase after 5:30 p.m. Monday along Interstate 94 this evening before crashing their vehicle and fleeing on foot.
Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Derrick Jackson said police chased a silver Dodge Caliber, which traveled westbound down the right shoulder of the freeway during the middle of the afternoon rush hour.
At 9:45 p.m., Jackson said the search for the two men had been called off and no arrests had been made. He said the investigation into the incident would continue.
There were no reported injuries as a result of the chase and the accidents.
Jackson said reports indicated the Caliber reached speeds of 110 miles per hour - including on the shoulder of the highway - while attempting to outrun police.
The chase began near Ypsilanti Township just a few minutes after 5 p.m. Monday.
Jackson said he believed the chase started after police received a call from a woman who said her daughter loaned her car to two men and they were refusing to give it back. He said he only had preliminary details on the beginning of the chase, and would have more information on Tuesday.
The man driving the Caliber struck another vehicle at I-94 and Zeeb Road and the two suspects fled the area on foot, heading north into the woods, Jackson said.
The two men were described as black and about 19 years old. One was wearing a white baseball hat, a white, red and black hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans.
A patrol car that was following the vehicle was involved in an accident and lost sight of the Caliber, Jackson said. He said officers from different police agencies, including K-9 units, headed to the scene and were involved in the search.
The crash caused I-94 to be partially closed at Zeeb Road.
There was no Nixle alert sent out to residents in the area, as is usual police protocol. Jackson said the order to send out the alert had been given, but he wasn't sure why it was never released
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
Arborcomment
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 6:36 p.m.
I thought race was no longer to be mentioned in suspect descriptions?
omniskeptic
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 5:18 p.m.
Let's try to keep our thinking a bit straighter than it sometimes seems to be: police don't cause police pursuits, idiots who run from the police do. I am not in favor of any restrictions on police in running down (literally, if necessary) anyone who flees, on foot, in a car, on a bicycle, with a Segway, or using a walker. Here's a notion: it was pointed out in the comments on a bank robbery story last year that there's no police helicopter coverage readily available 'round here. Maybe the county, Ann Arbor, Ypsi, and the townships could pool their resources and buy a surplus Mi-24D (Google it.) Paint it up as a black and white, put a light bar on it -- I think people would stop.
Belgium
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 8:20 p.m.
I have a visual of the police running someone down trying to escape on a Segway. Thanks for that laugh.
Craig Lounsbury
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 3:02 p.m.
does the woman who allegedly "loaned" them her car know who they are? If so why not post the names as "persons of interest"? Its possible if someone saw the names they might provide a location.
RJA
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 2:54 p.m.
Was glad to hear the chase was called off and there were no injuries. Not a good night weather wise for a chase. Into the woods they went, those in the area must be on the look out and keep their doors locked. I didn't get an alert either, but heard it on the scanner. I am always on the alert here being near the prison and much wooded area. No critical comments about the police here. They do a great job!
treetowncartel
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 7:07 p.m.
There is a prison near Zeeb and Jackson?
shipdog7
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 9:52 a.m.
As to one of the responders on here......... the report says they were armed. Maybe the woman who reported her car missing either knew they were armed, or threw that information in... to make sure police were more aggressive in their search for them. Since she knew who they were, it is a matter of time before they are seen and apprehended. Yes, high speed chases usually end up in a fatality or fatalities. This one seemed unnecessary during rush hour, Being they were known to the police. I'm sure forwarding their info to other nearby departments would have put police on alert for the Dodge Caliber and cut it off.
Lynn Liston
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 4:15 a.m.
Thanks, Kyle, for the follow up and for looking into the failure of the Nixle notification process. I'm not really happy that these guys can be anywhere out here in the fields and woods along the Zeeb-Jackson corridor and we wouldn't have known had we not been reading FB and seen the original post. btw- I just saw a FB post from a friend mentioning that there have been break-ins in Dexter. Is this true? Again, no Nixle alert has been sent. The law enforcement agencies want citizens to be helpful and also to take reasonable steps to protect ourselves. Neighborhood Watch and the Nixle alert system aren't helpful tools if the Sheriff's Dept doesn't use them. This isn't the first time that alerts have not been sent when crimes or dangerous situations occurred in our area.
justcurious
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 12:12 p.m.
There are break-ins (home invasions) in Dexter and in the entire area all the time. If you want to know what our Washtenaw County law enforcement officers are doing just get a scanner app and monitor it. You will be amazed at the type of calls they get and have to deal with on a daily basis. Perhaps your Facebook friend was talking about the robberies from the 6 cottages on Portage Lake that were reported here on Annarbor.com.
jcj
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 3:23 a.m.
Thanks Kyle. This would not be big news to anyone living 3-4 miles away. But for those in the vicinity it was and is a concern. Not that it helps ease many minds in that area that they did not catch them. But is is a dark night and would not be hard to slip through any perimeter.
julieswhimsies
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 3:10 a.m.
Yikes! Couple miles from here. I hope no one was hurt!
Fat Bill
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 3:05 a.m.
Ma'am, the good news is, we found your car. The bad news, well...
justcurious
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 2:32 a.m.
jcj, Kyle can only report what they tell him.
Belgium
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 8:17 p.m.
No doubt. I write a slightly sarcastic (and funny) response to an open issue and I'm censored. Staff write snarky and not funny comments, no problem. The heavy handedness employed while moderating comments wouldn't be so hard to swallow if the staff themselves weren't hypocrites.
Useless
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 6:47 p.m.
Kyle Feldscher, that was a rather snarky comment. Do the editors of Ann Arbor.Com endorse that type of comment? I doubt it.
cinnabar7071
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 1:56 p.m.
"after hours"? Since when did reporting news become a 9-5 job? I miss the old days when people took pride in there jobs.
Tesla
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 3:03 a.m.
Jeez, cut the guy some slack. He reported and posted the story after hours and is updating it at 10 in the evening.
jcj
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 3:01 a.m.
Kyle IF you had a family member living in the area you would have taken time to do an update before eating dinner I am sure of this!
Kyle Feldscher
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 2:45 a.m.
jcj- I apologize for eating dinner and taking care of a few errands. I have an update coming from Derrick Jackson in just a few minutes.
jcj
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 2:38 a.m.
Asking questions is what "reporters" used to do. Not wait for a press release!
jcj
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 2:37 a.m.
I agree. BUT has he asked? If he asked I find it hard to believe they would not say we have them OR they are still on the loose. Pretty Simple!
dading dont delete me bro
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 2:21 a.m.
i'm eagerly waiting for the ms paint Caracature of the suspects and toy car model.
proudtobeme
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 2:13 a.m.
I agree,it would be nice to get timely update on the situation. Especially since I live in the neighborhood. Sure,my doors are locked and all the lights are on but I'm not sure I will be able to sleep until I know they have been caught (or at least until I can be sure they are out of the neighborhood).
jcj
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 2:07 a.m.
"Crime Reporter" Ha LOL. How about old news dispenser!
jcj
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 2:06 a.m.
We can't even shame them into a follow up. BUT let someone call someone a name that is not politically correct and the moderators are all over it!
jcj
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 2:05 a.m.
Lock your doors don't wait for a timely update from this blog! We will here in three days something happened!
Lynn Liston
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 1:54 a.m.
Hope they are caught soon. We live nearby and are surprised that we haven't received an alert from the Sheriff's department, since we are subscribed to their Nixle alert system for both text and email. Perhaps A2News could look into this lapse while they are obtaining update information. This is exactly the kind of situation that calls for a warning alert to nearby residents.
jcj
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 1:48 a.m.
Thanks for the update A2.com! NOT. For those interested I just drove the area and saw no sign of law enforcement. They either caught them or gave up. No Thanks to this rag of a blog!
jcj
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 1:12 a.m.
How do they know they were armed?
Daniel Soebbing
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 4:55 p.m.
Exactly! Sounds like the police added that one in there to justify their high speed pursuit.
tidge
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 12:58 a.m.
As I was driving eastbound I witnessed a police car (flashers) take the (eastbound) curved overpass at Jackson road entirely too fast and go into what looked like a dangerous 360-degree spin. It did not look like the police car hit anything else, but this would have been an unnecessary added mess to the situation. There have been several times recently when I've observed multiple cars on (eastbound) I-94 driving on the right shoulder between State and Jackson at excessive speeds in the morning commute (8 AM), so any law enforcement types that want to spend 30 minutes between 7:45 and 8:15 in this area, please feel free to do so...the rest of us drivers will appreciate it.
bluecollar
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 3:11 p.m.
I'm sure they will appreciate the fact that you gave them permission! How awesome.
Jeff Renner
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 12:55 a.m.
We live less than a mile as the crow flies (or the suspects flee on foot) from this location, and we subscribe to the sheriff's department email alerts for just this reason, but they have posted nothing. This is quite a lapse, in my opinion. The outside floodlights will be on this evening! AnnArbor.com - please update this if/when the suspects are apprehended.
Tom Harrison
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 12:49 a.m.
Both the silver Dodge Caliber and the Sheriff flew past me while I was on the expressway this evening.
Useless
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 12:48 a.m.
We drove by the scene on Zeeb road and were wondering what all the police were doing, they were hiding out all around the area. trespass, you sound very critical of the police in the message. I am curious if you would have the same tone if you were a victim in this situation. Sometimes all the details of a situation are not release so as not to help the criminals involved. Ann Arbor.Com - can you follow up with more details please?
Daniel Soebbing
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 4:53 p.m.
Ummm, johnnya2, the woman that made the call to the police is not an alleged victim in this case. The point is that the police endangered the lives of hundreds of other motorists that were on the road during rush hour by engaging in a high speed chase. Sometimes the interest of public safety is better served by not giving chase, even if it means that it will be impossible to recover stolen property in the future. In any event, the allegedly stolen car was crashed at high speed during the course of the chase. It is likely totalled, and thus not recoverable anyway.
trespass
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 1:51 p.m.
The point is that a high speed chase is not without its own risks to the public. All law enforcement agencies have policies to weight the risks and benefits. Did these officers violate those policies? That is what I would like to know.
johnnya2
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 5:13 a.m.
@trespass 1. The VICTIM did not loan the car to the men. It was her daughter. "police received a call from a woman who said her daughter loaned her car to two men " 2. The men who had the car REFUSED to give it back. " they were refusing to give it back" 3. "How hard would it be to go to their house and pick them up later"- It might be impossible. Maybe they moved. Maybe they did not know the address. I guess police should just let criminals do whatever the hell they want, since there is a risk another citizen may get hurt. 4. These criminals made a choice to flee and evade. That IN AND OF ITSELF is a crime. Based on your premise, if a police officer tries to pull you over in a car that is not yours, they should just gun it and run. Do not follow or chase them. After all, it is not their car. We all know it is impossible to steal a car, or to change a license plate. Of course typical of the armchair quarterbacks on this site, YOU have all the answers before the story is even 8 hours old.
trespass
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 2:05 a.m.
If I was the "victim" in this case, I would know who the suspects are because I loaned them my car in the first place. How hard would it be to go to their house and pick them up later. The real victim could have been the innocent person who got killed during this unnecessary high speed chase.
trespass
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 12:31 a.m.
Why was this worth the risk to the public? What is the policy of the Sheriff's department regarding high speed chases? The patrol car crashed (how fast was it going when it crashed). Was this even a car theft or was it just a civil dispute? She loaned them the car. What would the story be if the suspects car or the deputy's car had killed someone in another car? We will never know the answer to these questions because it will be an internal investigation that will be hidden by the Sheriff. We need the transparency that Jerry Clayton promised in his campaign or we need a new Sheriff.
cinnabar7071
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 1:49 p.m.
How about if they hadn't chased these 2 and they killed someone in another crime, then what? We could go on and on about what could have happened, the one thing to remember is the police chase bad people, thats what we pay them to do and I support that and will never blame the police for what might happen, they respond to what has happened.
Mr. Ed
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 3:21 a.m.
Sure hope the deputies and citizens are ok. If they were armed the deputies have a duty to arrest and chase. Why would you not chase two armed men.
UM Rocks
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 12:06 a.m.
My husband was listening to this on the scanner when I got home.
bluecollar
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 3:14 p.m.
That makes the story hit so much closer to home. I agree you rock! Thanks for the comment, and thank your husband a job well done!!!!!!!!
Peter Jameson
Tue, Nov 29, 2011 : 12:19 a.m.
you rock!
John of Saline
Mon, Nov 28, 2011 : 11:24 p.m.
Break out the night-vision sensors........