WARREN, Mich. (WXYZ) — A suspect wanted for allegedly breaking into a marijuana business in Warren and leading police on a chase before crashing into a house is in custody.
According to police, officers responded to a reported burglary at a marijuana distribution facility in the area of Dequindre and 14 Mile roads around 1:55 a.m. on Saturday.
See the dash cam video below:
The business owner told police a large amount of marijuana had been stolen. Police later identified the vehicle allegedly used in the break-in and tried to pull him over. The suspect then took off and the chase went into the city of Detroit.
The chase ended when the suspect crashed into an unoccupied home near Ewald Circle and Schoolcraft on Detroit's west side.
“I just hear this big boom and I'm thinking it's like an explosion it's so loud,” said Stephanie McKnight, who lives just a few doors down from the home the car crashed into. "I go to my front window, there's like a thousand cars outside, police cars. So I come out, and there’s a whole truck in the house."
Police say they took the suspect, Dijon Tyree, into custody without incident and found a large amount of marijuana that was stolen in the car.
“Our officers were safe, they were tactical, they were proactive and they worked together to safely take somebody who has been victimizing the community, both Warren and surrounding community, into custody,” said Lt. John Gajewski with the Warren Police Department.
“Did they chase the person all the way from Warren to Detroit? to Ewald Circle?” neighbor Bettye Madden said. "It's not worth it. The possibility that you’re injuring some innocent citizen is great I think.”
“They’re from Warren, Michigan. Why are you chasing this person all the way on Schoolcraft and Davison? To me, it’s just too much," McKnight said. "Someone could've got killed."
Tyree is now facing seven felonies and luckily, the home was unoccupied. With no injuries, Gajewski feels their officers made the right call.
“We evaluate these pursuits both in real time and after the fact to make the best decisions we can," Gajewski said. "There are certain pursuits — and I certainly believe this is one of them — where I think even the community would say we shouldn't let this guy go.”
“I'm just so thankful no one got hurt, but I just feel like the police… there's got to be some other way,” McKnight said. "Something like that could happen to any of us staying here.”
Tyree was charged with:
- Delivery/manufacture 45 kilograms of marijuana, a 15-year felony
- Conspiracy to deliver/manufacture 45 kilograms of marijuana, a 15-year felony
- Breaking and entering a building with intent, a 10-year felony
- Conspiracy to commit breaking and entering of a building, a 10-year felony
- Receiving and concealing stolen property $20,000 or more, a 10-year felony
- Receiving and concealing a stolen vehicle, a five year felony
- Fleeing and eluding third degree, a five year felony
