Saline police arrest one man after high speed chase through town
This story has been updated with information from a statement released by Saline police.
Saline police arrested one man Wednesday afternoon after a high-speed chase back and forth through the city on Michigan Avenue. At one point the man crashed his car into a police vehicle.
Detective Don Lupi said the chase ended without injuries about 2 p.m. Wednesday and with the driver of the vehicle in custody. Lupi said the man was travelling at a high rate of speed east on Michigan Avenue out of the city before turning around and heading back into Saline.
According to a police statement, a woman called police seeking help because she was having problems with her husband. Police went to a business near the woman's home to meet with the woman and, as they were speaking with her, the man arrived at the home in a vehicle and began yelling.
The man saw officers on the scene and began to drive away, according to the statement. One officer stayed at the scene to speak with the woman, while two other officers pursued the man.
The man drove east on Michigan Avenue, reaching a point about a half-mile east of Industrial Road, according to the statement. The man pulled onto the right shoulder and turned left, as if he was heading into a parking lot north of the road. Police followed him as he did a U-turn, eventually striking the police vehicle head on.
The officer driving the vehicle got out and the man subsequently drove around him, heading west down Michigan Avenue, according to the statement. He arrived back at the original location, circled around the business and drove into the parking lot, where officers were able to block him, police said.
The man was arrested and is being held in the Washtenaw County Jail. Read the full statement here.
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
pawky
Thu, Mar 15, 2012 : 4:05 p.m.
To those who think that the police should not chase suspected criminals: This man allegedly rammed a police car and fled. Some say that the police should not chase and let him get away and seek criminal charges later. That would take several days. Great. What would you say if the police had done this and the suspect came back and killed her later that night? What if she was your sister, your mom, etc? Would that still be OK with you? Yes, chases are dangerous, but should suspects be allowed to just drive away to freedom? What is needed is lengthy jail sentences for criminals who endanger the public by fleeing from the police.
pawky
Thu, Mar 15, 2012 : 3:48 p.m.
Great job Saline PD!
grimmk
Thu, Mar 15, 2012 : 2:56 p.m.
I work right off Mich Ave in Saline. I'm very glad I was at work when this happened! Driving on Mich Ave is bad enough. I've seen too many crashes as of late. People driving too fast mixed with people driving too slow... crunch.
Muria
Thu, Mar 15, 2012 : 2:28 p.m.
Actually, the man turned into a driveway, not a parking lot. It was the residence next to my place of employment. I can't imagine why the man would lead the police on a high speed chase. They know where he lives.
B2Pilot
Thu, Mar 15, 2012 : 3:37 p.m.
I know it is difficult to try to understand how a deranged person is processing information. All the more reason to apprehend them rather than let them have freedom to move through out the city where ever they want.
B2Pilot
Thu, Mar 15, 2012 : 2:18 p.m.
I applaud the police for a job well done! No one hurt, person apprehded what more do you want. Domestic disputes are some of the toughest calls to deal with. Kudos to the officers for their professionalism!
Saw
Thu, Mar 15, 2012 : 1:40 p.m.
How wonderful!! Without any regard to loss of life or limb or property damage the police chased at high speed through our small city to catch a guy who they knew who he is and where he lived. I am so happy to know just how safe our streets are. I feel so blessed that while driving in that same area with my 4 year old granddaughter that there was no danger in this and we were not placed in harms way and we were not killed by crashing into a chase that that a horrid man was caught before he got into another argument with his wife. Great job Saline P.D. you could have killed someone! This is without a doubt a needless act of bored cops. Shame on you Saline P.D. . This should be on T.V. Not C.O.P. S. but Bloopers!!!
Diane
Thu, Mar 15, 2012 : 12:31 p.m.
We were coming in to town & saw the car go by @ an estimated 60 to70 mph. Thank God no one was hurt or killed by this idiot. Michigan Ave. was quite busy @ this time.
justcurious
Wed, Mar 14, 2012 : 8:27 p.m.
I wonder if it was necessary to pursue him when he drove away? She could have made her complaint despite him leaving. Chasing someone at a high rate of speed is just downright dangerous especially through a town. Saline could be a nice town if US-12 didn't run smack dab through the middle of it.
smokeblwr
Wed, Mar 14, 2012 : 7:55 p.m.
Why would he turn around and head back? Maybe he left his wallet behind...
tessandfriends
Wed, Mar 14, 2012 : 7:54 p.m.
Saw them racing east on Michigan Avenue. We used the 5-0 Police Scanner app on our iPhone to listen in and heard them talking about speeds of 90 to 100 mph. Glad he was apprehended without a crash!
Jeff Renner
Wed, Mar 14, 2012 : 9:14 p.m.
But there was a crash: "Police followed him as he did a U-turn, eventually striking the police vehicle head on."
Christopher Shonk
Wed, Mar 14, 2012 : 7:48 p.m.
The City has issued a statement on the incident here. <a href="http://www.cityofsaline.org/wordpress/?p=151" rel='nofollow'>http://www.cityofsaline.org/wordpress/?p=151</a>
Kyle Feldscher
Wed, Mar 14, 2012 : 8:38 p.m.
Thanks for posting this.
DBH
Wed, Mar 14, 2012 : 8:11 p.m.
Thanks. That has many more details than this story.
hmsp
Wed, Mar 14, 2012 : 7:44 p.m.
Cops always like the sound of it when they say, "high rate of speed." That phrase describes acceleration, not speed. Plain old "high speed" is what it sounds like -- high speed.
ranger007
Wed, Mar 14, 2012 : 7:40 p.m.
I was almost hit during a saline police high speed chase a few years back...I don't quite understand why they would chase a vehicle right through town...just plan dumb
Mom in Town
Wed, Mar 14, 2012 : 7:31 p.m.
According to my husband who almost got run over by this guy, he was heading WEST out of Saline around 12:30. I also heard that he was arrested at around 12:45 in the parking lot west of Riveroaks Apts.
grye
Wed, Mar 14, 2012 : 6:49 p.m.
The headline reads as if one man was following a high speed chase, so the police arrested him. A better headline would be "Saline Police arrest man involved in high speed chase".
djm12652
Wed, Mar 14, 2012 : 8:58 p.m.
Had aanarbor.com worded it "involved" the author would have been assuming guilt, thereby violating guidlines and the moderator would have been forced to remove the article....
Julie Baker
Wed, Mar 14, 2012 : 7:02 p.m.
We've altered the headline.