Men force their way into Ypsilanti home, rob people inside
Updated story: Ypsilanti police make arrest in late-night home invasion, robbery
Police say a group of men approached two people on the porch of an Ypsilanti home Tuesday night, forced them back inside at gunpoint and robbed everyone in the home.
The robbery occurred at about 11:30 p.m. in the 300 block of Perrin Street, according to an Ypsilanti police news release.
A total of six people were inside the home, including one EMU student, a campus police alert said. The people were told they wouldn't be harmed if they cooperated, the alert said.
The robbers stole cell phones, two laptops, and a small amount of cash, the alert said.
The victims said they were then ordered into the basement by the man with the gun as the others remained upstairs and took assorted items, Ypsilanti police said.
After the robbers left, the victims discovered one of their vehicles was taken, the release said. Officers located the vehicle a short distance away, unoccupied and undamaged. No one was injured. A police tracking dog was used, but was unable to locate anyone, the release said.
Police said the victims were unable to give detailed descriptions of the men because they were ordered not to look at them. It appears four to six men were involved, police said.
The victims said the gunman was black, clean shaven and was wearing a red hooded sweatshirt. He was armed with a small silver pistol. The others were also described as black, with one wearing a black wool hat and the others described as about 20 to 24 years old.
Anyone with information is asked to call Ypsilanti police at (734) 483-9510.
Comments
Ryan Munson
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 8:10 p.m.
Eek! I used to live two blocks from there. I can see the fact that one point I had to call 911 three times in a week was bad. This, of course, is not the usual crime.
Ricebrnr
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 5:58 p.m.
Bravo TruBlu! Thanks for elaborating where I did not. I also echo your sentiment regarding Davidian and me and extend it back to you. I do my level best to give relevant and logical advice. Sometimes I feel like the lone voice in the wilderness especially with detractors who never hear the logic or stop to think about it. Thank you for also evangelizing along with me.
Ricebrnr
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 3:58 p.m.
@Woman in Ypsilanti I'm sure I speak for all responsible gun owners when I say I appreciate your sentiment and agree that it is up to the individual to decide how and by what means to defend themselves and not for others to decide or limit their chices. From what you have written I agree that right now a firearm may not be for you but there are other choices available. Its up to you to decide at some point that your life and wellbeing is worth more than that of any attacker and that your life is worth fighting for, however you choose to do it. When you come to that decision, appropriate training will help you with the rest. Be safe.
Davidian
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 3:46 p.m.
At Tru2Blu76: Really good post but I would like to correct your correction LOL: You said "Finally, a minor corrective note: New Glock (brand) pistols cost significantly more than $400. Buyers can shop around but it's hard to find any new Glocks much under $600." Who said it had to be new? Glocks live forever, you know that.
Woman in Ypsilanti
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 2:56 p.m.
While I am perfectly fine with other people choosing to own guns to defend their homes, it isn't a solution which will work for everyone. I don't want to have to have a loaded gun by my side just to sit on my porch. A gun is useless unless one is willing to kill someone with it and I am not unless I know for sure that my life is in danger. By the time I would be likely to come to that conclusion, it would most likely be too late and my gun would be among the items stolen. A far better solution would be for Ypsilanti to provide extra police protection to the area. But of course, they can't do that if they don't have the funds for it. I would be willing to pay more property taxes for such things but unfortunately my neighbors are not. I'll keep sitting on my porch and take my chances but I live in a safer part of town.
Davidian
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 2:50 p.m.
At Shadow Manager: I lived on that side of Ypsilanti for 7 years in the 1990's and I would like to provide a rebuttal to your post: As I mentioned in an earlier post, I was the victim of a home invasion while a student at EMU. This was not a petty crime. Home invasions are extremely violent crimes. I lived about one block from where this incident took place and about 75 yards from the police station. The police were no deterrent. Unfortunately for the intruder, this 'victim' turned the tables with an old hunting shotgun. I was not injured and I did not lose any property in the attack. I will not elaborate further. I was also jumped by armed gang members trying to rob me for the case of beer and money I was carrying. I was directly across the street from the police station. Again, the police were not a deterrent. I successfully defended myself. I also recall a shootout at the corner liquor store (Summit and Michigan Ave) where 3 people were murdered in cold blood. That is less than 1/4 mile from the police station. Once again, the police were no deterrent. The police station is about 100 yards from where most of these home invasions and assaults are taking place. Fact: Police and prison sentences do not deter crime. The prospect of a criminal being shot by their potential victim deters crime. This "loonie with a gun" lived to have a successful career and family. I wonder what would've happened had I not made the choice to defend myself.
Ricebrnr
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 1:54 p.m.
@ShadowManager Please confirm, your comment indicates that it's ok for the neighborhood to be this way because its alwasys been this way AND that "gun violence" (or any violence) is only tolerated if perpetrated by criminals? Innocent victims who happen to live there should just lay down and die then? The last thing the neighborhood needs are armed citizens (who by virtue of choosing to defend themselves are "loons")? Google Kennesaw, GA and to learn something about what armed loons can do for crime.
UgottaBkidding
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 12:33 p.m.
This is unbelievable. Students can't enjoy an evening on their own porches anymore. That area has become infested with scums and degenerates. What happened to the police walking the beat, so proudly touted a few months ago???
waylon
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 12:27 p.m.
God, Gun's, and Gut's made America Free! They can all 3 also keep You alive!
ShadowManager
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 11:48 a.m.
Sounds like most of the people commenting on this article don't actually know much about Ypsilanti. That part of town has ALWAYS been like this. Adding guns and a bunch of open-carry loonies to the mix will solve nothing. Ypsilanti has alot of nice areas, but Perrin near Emmett is definitely not one of them. It's filled with petty crime, break-ins, and even robberies like this one...always has been...the neighborhood attracts alot of transients because of proxmity to buslines and the school and cheap shoddy rental housing, but it has never been particularly violent (ie. gun violence). The last thing it needs is a bunch of "concerned" citizens shooting off double-barrels from their porches. It needs a beat cop.
YpsiLivin
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 10:31 a.m.
GMdS, Don't be discouraged. Maybe Ypsilanti wasn't a crime-ridden cesspool when you wrote your dissertation yesterday, but it just reached the tipping point at 11:30 pm last night. (I will say, however, that given the proximity of the police station to the crime scene, the perpetrators were more than a little bold...)
Ricebrnr
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 8:54 a.m.
+ 1 on the previous comments with one caveat. It's not just your own porches folks. Anytime, anywhere this is why I carry. If I was clairvoyant, I'd only carry when I knew there'd be trouble, but then again if I knew there'd be trouble I'd avoid it wouldn't I? Wouldn't you? But since I and no one is.....1*
djm12652
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 8:37 a.m.
Well said Davidian. Ypsi/A2 is full of 'victims' unwilling to take their personal safety into their own hands!
Grand Marquis de Sade
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 8:36 a.m.
Could these be the same people who robbed those kids on Hamilton? They were approached while they sat on the porch too... God and to think I wrote a damn dissertation on here yesterday defending my fair city against "unfair" characterizations as a dangerous, crime-ridden cesspool.
Davidian
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 8:09 a.m.
Lord knows EMU is a hotbed of Marxist indoctrination, but people need to get over their social justice fantasies and realize that there are some extremely dangerous people out there. Drop the 400 bucks and get a Glock already. A few students fight back, this will end. They're only there to feast on the easy pickings in the first place. --From a concerned EMU grad who once defended himself with a shotgun during an off-campus break in.
Jimmy McNulty
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 7:53 a.m.
Thanks for the map!
smokeblwr
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 7:20 a.m.
This is why you never go out on your porch without a firearm.