Man damages two police cars and officer's personal vehicle, Ann Arbor police say
A man was arrested this morning after Ann Arbor police say he attempted to break into a police officer's personal van on Ann Street, then ran on top of a patrol car before an officer tackled him.
As the man was being driven to the nearby police station in another patrol car, he kicked out a window, police said.
The officer who made the arrest suffered minor injuries and went to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital to be evaluated, a police report said.
The incident began when a worker at Ann Arbor's new police-courts building ran into a police trailer outside police headquarters at 1:15 a.m. to report that a man attempted to break into a van on Ann Street.
According to police, the van is an officer's personal vehicle, but it does not appear the suspect was aware of that. The worker reported the man ran east on Ann Street and jumped on the trunk of a police car, ran across the top of it and down onto the hood before jumping off, the report said.
An officer caught up with the man near the intersection of Ann Street and Division Street, the report said, but he refused orders to stop.
When the man twice refused orders to get on the ground, the officer tackled him, the report said. Damage estimates were not available this morning.
Police did not have any other details.
Lee Higgins is a reporter for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at (734) 623-2527 and e-mail at leehiggins@annarbor.com.
Comments
walker101
Fri, Jul 30, 2010 : 9:08 a.m.
You're all too kind, I would of shot him, I guess that leaves me off the force?
Awakened
Thu, Jul 29, 2010 : 3:49 a.m.
I hope the City doctor doesn't determine that the injury didn't occur and deny payment for the treatment as a previous article noted for another officer. I hope that the City does not use yet another injury to justify that medical costs are too high and cut pay and benefits. I wouldn't and couldn't do their job under any circumstances. I just hope the nature and circumstances of their work are taken into account when the City decides budget priorities.
a2roots
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 4:25 p.m.
@gorc...probably because Rusty is absolutely wrong. Commit the crime, pay the time and price. The officer is fortunate he was not injured severely. I hope next time the officer uses his taser. No problem with max strength either.
Gorc
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 4:03 p.m.
Even in a town full of liberals...no seems to agree with Rusty's position.
jjc155
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 3:12 p.m.
@rusty, so if the suspect would have hit his head and became a vegetable that would have been OK? or are you the kind of person that would yell and scream about that too? I suspect you would. Please realize that if the suspect would have been seriously hurt in the tackle or ensuing physical altercation and if a lawsuit was filed that the failure to use a taser would have been a chief complaint. Per Thomas v Roach, 165F.3d 137 (2nd Cicuirt 1999)which found liabilty in the City of Bridgeport for failing to issued tasers, which are "widely accepted and non lethal means (by) which to apprehend Thomas" as the officers had to employ a higher level of force and the Thomas was injured (as I recall his leg was broken by baton strikes). It was also noted in Ewolski v City of Brunswick, 28F.3d 492 (6th cir 2003) that failure to provide "optimal" equipement to officers is akin to negligence on the part of the municipality. I can provide many other cites if you please. Lastly you realize that EVERY SINGLE CALL that a police officer goes on during a shift there is atleast one gun involved, right? His? So I guess you are also a proponent of cops wrestling around on the ground with a suspect over their gun, because that happens way more than you could every imagine rusty. Should Michigan bring back the choke hold (which has killed way more people in LE encounters than just about any other technique or tool). This has nothing to do with being sadistic or anything like that. Rusty think about how many people are still alive due to tasers (cops not having to use lethal force) or less injured (not having to get hit with a baton, punch, kick, knee strike etc). Come up with creditable stats for Tasers actually killing more people than they have saved and I will concede you position and join Amnesty International just for you.
bunnyabbot
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 2:42 p.m.
I would have thought this was a use a taser example, I agree, you run from the cops, you get tasered. That way a cop doesnt' get hurt, have to go to the ER and doesn't have to have time off.
rusty shackelford
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 2:13 p.m.
I love how people are gunning for the maximum force even in a case when a normal amount of force clearly got the job done very well. I don't understand the appeal of putting someone in needless pain and jeopardy, As I said before, I applaud the officer for getting the job done with proportional force. Certain sadists seem to think he doesn't know how to do his job right. I disagree.
Rasputin
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 12:54 p.m.
Strung out? Crazy insane? I believe so.
a2roots
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 12:32 p.m.
Please, next time use the taser. Knucklehead is lucky, in Detroit he probably would have been shot.
Yuxuibbs
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 11:56 a.m.
Kinda felt like i was reading an episode of "world's dumbest criminals". You're basically asking for trouble if you damage a police car basically right in front of the police station.
Jeff Richard
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 11:55 a.m.
Kudos to AAcity12 and this officer. It's difficult for the average person to imagine the violent nature of a hand-to-hand arrest with a combative suspect, especially if the suspect is tripping on drugs. Anyone who wants to criticize the use of a taser should themselves go out and try to take down a 200 pound man. We shouldn't expect our officers to enter a UFC (ultimate fighting championship) competition when making an arrest. Besides weapons... these people bite as well.
sirotan
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 11:51 a.m.
Maybe I'm the only one but I had a really hard time parsing all the instances of 'ran' in this article. Especially the part where he 'ran into a police trailer outside police headquarters' which I had to read three or four times to understand that he didn't somehow ram his vehicle into a physical trailer owned by police but instead entered a police trailer to report a crime.
annarbor
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 11:49 a.m.
I, for one, find it hard to reason with a person that equates tasering with electrocution. Glad to hear the officer wasn't seriously hurt.
CountyKate
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 11:49 a.m.
No, JJC, we do not. If we ignore him, maybe he'll go away.
boom
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 11:48 a.m.
I don't know Rusty, sounds like this guy was a taser candidate to me. Try to break into a vehicle and then car hop a police car right outside the police station. This guy was definitely looking for trouble. I wouldn't have been shocked to read the guy had been tasered when I read the story. Ever watch the Cops episodes of Tased & Confused?
AACity12
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 11:39 a.m.
Needlessly taser? Are you kiddin me? You run from the cops you get tasered. That's the risk you take. Why should that officer risk an injury to himself? What I that guy had a knife in his hand and starts stabbing? He isn't going to hurt anyone if he is getting tasered from 20 feet away. Almost a 98 cops have been killed in the line of duty this year. Why risk it?
jjc155
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 11:33 a.m.
Ohh rusty do we HAVE to do this again??? http://www.kirotv.com/news/19445968/detail.html http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/331706/lapd_officer_and_suspect_injured_in.html?cat=17 http://ems.gmnews.com/news/2010-05-19/Front_Page/Police_Robbery_thwarted_at_Edison_gas_station.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/police-officer-stabbed-to-death-as-he-tries-to-tackle-mugger-452723.html http://lapdblog.typepad.com/lapd_blog/2008/05/armed-robbery-s.html http://www.workerscompensationinsurance.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40602 http://savannahnow.com/news/2007-07-19/deputy-injured-while-wrestling-teen-suspect And on and on and on.....I think Amnesty International should come out again the Tackle as it is dangerous to both suspects and officers alike.
Ignatz
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 11:25 a.m.
Wow, they're working on that building at 1 in the morning? i guess they want to get it done. I wonder what's going to happen to the brainiac perp.
rusty shackelford
Wed, Jul 28, 2010 : 11:01 a.m.
Kudos to this officer for using appropriate force and not needlessly tasering the suspect as it seems many police do nowadays. Just goes to show you that some cops still realize their job is hard, and physical. Pity so many are so scared of everything they electrocute people to death for no reason. Remember, if you can't justify the use of deadly force, you can't justify the use of a taser.