ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — Madison and her friend were wrapping up a night out in downtown Ann Arbor when three men pulled up near where they were standing on Main Street near Liberty.
It was about 2:15 am and the two women were waiting for Madison's boyfriend who was about a block away talking to a friend.
The first thing Madison recalls seeing was the firearm the first man was holding as he exited his vehicle and approached her and her friend.
"The gun, it was massive," said Madison, adding that the man began demanding any money they had when one of his accomplices exited the vehicle wearing a ski mask and armed with what Madison describes as a dagger.
"I had a single shot from the liquor store of Tito's vodka in one hand and I had my bank card and $30 in cash in the other hand," Madison told 7 Action News. "They took the $30, wouldn't take my bank card, took the vodka, and then and then kept asking, 'Do you have more? Do you have more?' And my friend, she pulled out $200 out of her wallet, gave it to them and said, 'Take whatever you want.'"
The masked man who was armed with the dagger then began to ask if they had any drugs, including ecstasy and cocaine. Madison told them no and the men got back into their vehicle and began to leave but not before pointing the firearm out of a back window and cocking it.
"For some reason, I wasn't as scared of the gun until that moment, because once they cocked that, I froze. I just held my breath and I thought there was nowhere to hide and we were going to get shot.
As soon as the men were gone Madison and her friend ran to a nearby bar that was closed and banged on the door until the owner they knew opened it and let them in.
"I was genuinely terrified," she said.
Within minutes, Ann Arbor police swarmed the area and spotted the suspect vehicle, a blue Chevrolet Cruze, at a gas station about two blocks away. And sitting in the passenger seat was one of the suspects, still wearing his ski mask.
Police briefly pursued the vehicle until it crashed near a park. One man, a 20-year-old from Saline, was arrested at the scene of the crash. Another suspect, a 22-year-old from Ypsilanti, was arrested a couple hours later after officers located him walking southbound on S. Main Street.
"The third suspect, we know who he is. We're looking for him," said Ann Arbor Deputy Chief Jason Forsberg. "We would suggest he turn himself in. We'll be coming to find him."
During the investigation into the armed robbery, officers learned that the same men were suspected in an attempted home invasion on Arbordale near Stadium about 15 minute before Madison and her friend were robbed.
Police said the attempted home invasion began when a homeowner heard the car alarm on his Corvette sounding off followed by banging on his front door.
When the man opened his door, the two men tried to force their way in but the homeowner was able to fight them off and lock the door.
The would-be intruders fled and police believe that's when the men went downtown and targeted Madison and her friend.
Police are urging anyone with information about the men or their crimes to contact the AAPD tip line at 734.794.6939 or email tips@a2gov.org.
