GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A Wayne County man could face multiple charges after running from Michigan State Police on Friday night. He was finally caught after running into a Walmart and found trying to disguise himself as an employee.
MSP says the suspect was spotted speeding and driving recklessly by a trooper in a helicopter doing an aerial patrol near Ford Road in Dearborn. An MSP sergeant tried to make a traffic stop, but the suspect fled.
Instead of starting a chase, MSP tracked the driver from the air. After approximately 45 minutes crisscrossing Wayne County, another trooper was able to get close enough to get the license plate for the fleeing car and confirmed it was reported stolen.
MSP troopers continued to track the car from the air until the suspect pulled into a Walmart parking lot in Dearborn, ditched the car and ran inside.
After going through security footage, they found the suspect in the back stockroom “disguised as a Walmart worker.” The suspect again tried to flee but was eventually taken into custody near the front entrance of the store.
Lt. Mike Shaw, the public information officer for MSP’s Second District, said the region has seen an uptick in fleeing suspects lately.
“This suspect pretty much checked all the boxes for what we have been seeing lately,” Shaw said in a social media post. “Reckless driving, failing to stop for police and having a stolen car. But again, you can’t outrun a helicopter, so now he’s in jail.”
The suspect has only been identified as a 20-year-old man from Redford. He awaits a review from the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office to determine what charges he may face.
