TROY, Mich. (WXYZ) — A person suffered non-life-threatening injuries after being shot outside a Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Troy Monday evening, police said.
It happened around 6:30 p.m. at the restaurant on W. Big Beaver Road near Crooks Road. Police say no one is in custody.
The victim was taken to the hospital in stable condition with injuries that are not considered life-threatening, according to police.
According to police, the victim was sitting in the driver's seat of a vehicle in the valet area when the shots rang out. She was hit multiple times, and a fragment also struck the front door of the building, shattering the pane.
A second female and a 4-year-old child were accompanying the victim, but were uninjured.
Police said officers did learn a white Dodge Durango was potentially involved in the shooting. Hazel Park police located the vehicle and pursued it along I-75 into the City of Detroit where it was lost.
Photos of the suspect's vehicle are below.
One couple who was inside the restaurant told 7 Action News off camera that they saw a woman come back inside the front door of the restaurant bloodied with a gunshot wound to her leg.
“It was a little nerve-racking, a little bit upsetting,” said Brigitte Evanoff, who was inside during the incident.
Inside the crowded restaurant were concerned patrons after multiple gunshots rang out outside in the middle of dinner.
“Just a few shots and that was it. I didn't think much until the officer came in," said Jay Cucinella, who was at the restaurant with family celebrating his 18th birthday. "I didn't know (for sure it was gunfire), but you heard some pops. I didn't think much of it.”
Many customers inside told us they were unaware what happened, but right outside the front steps of the restaurant, police had an area taped off around a car near the valet. The front door of the steak house was shattered with shell casings on the ground.
Troy police say the incident does not appear random and one person was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
“Maybe two or three minutes after we sat down, we saw a lot of people getting up and going toward the front,” said Jeffery Wells, who was at the restaurant with his wife celebrating their anniversary. "We asked our waiter what was going on and he explained to us that someone had a birthday party there and when they went out, someone was waiting for them, and I guess they shot them."
Police have not released specific details but say there doesn’t appear to be a threat to the public. The suspect is still at large. The restaurant closed for the night but let people finish their meal before exiting out a side door.
“You don't expect that in Troy, so I was kind of shocked,” Wells said.
“It was pretty shocking for us. We thought it was pretty safe out here," Evanoff said. "Can happen anywhere.”
Police say the number of people involved is also still under investigation.
