Video: Suspect car hits unmarked detectives’ cars

GAINES TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Five suspects were arrested near Grand Rapids after using a stolen car to hit police vehicles in an attempt to get away, authorities say.

The Kent County Sheriff’s Office said it started Wednesday when an off-duty detective noticed “suspicious activity,” including using stolen credit cards, in the Gaines Township Meijer. Undersheriff Bryan Muir told News 8 that detectives tend to see a pattern of suspects buying “an excessive number of gift cards on a credit card.”

Group members were also trying to hide their faces, according to Muir.

“It was all of the indications (the detective) needed,” he said. “They were trying to conceal their identities, there was a large dollar amount of concealed gift cards from the Meijer self-checkout lane, which was enough for him to call his partners who were on duty to say, ‘Hey, can someone come over here to check this out?'”

When on-duty detectives and deputies arrived, the sheriff’s office said, the suspects were found in a stolen car at a nearby gas station.

Surveillance video released Thursday by the sheriff’s office — timestamped around 4:50 p.m. Wednesday — shows four unmarked detectives’ vehicles pull up on the stolen car while it was parked at a pump. The detectives worked to box the car in and one of the officers got out, drawing his gun and pointing it at the suspect vehicle. The video shows the suspect car reversed and pulled forward twice, hitting the two detectives’ cars in front of and one behind it.

“The suspects showed no willingness to give up without a fight,” Muir said. “They started ramming our cars, trying to fight and get through.”

A marked cruiser then arrived, pulling around to completely box in the stolen car.

“Our cars were able to block them in, and that’s when they fled on foot,” Muir said.

The video shows the driver bail, followed quickly by the other people in the car. They all took off running as the detectives and deputy gave chase.

Deputies were able to find and arrest all five suspects, ages 16 to 20 years old, according to the sheriff’s office. Many had previous contact with law enforcement, according to Muir.

“Thankfully, with the community’s help for us, we were given lots of tips throughout the day and we were able to locate all five of the subjects who fled from the car shortly after they took off,” he said. “We really wouldn’t have caught all five of these (suspects) and brought them to justice if it wasn’t for the community calling in tips when they saw suspicious behavior.”

According to Muir, there was significant damage to the police vehicles.

“It’s going to be probably within the thousands of dollars,” Muir said. “They were ramming our cars pretty hard to get out of there.”

The case will be reviewed by the Kent County Prosecutor’s Office.

If you witness suspicious behavior, you’re encouraged to contact the sheriff’s office at 616.632.6125 or Silent Observer at 616.774.2345.

“If you see something suspicious at the self-checkout or you see something suspicious at the store, always give us a call,” Muir said.

—News 8’s Rachel Van Gilder contributed to this report.

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