PONTIAC, Mich. (WWJ) -- Seven men are behind bars and police are searching for an eighth after authorities made a string of arrests Saturday in connection with multiple drive-by shootings, one of which happened back in January.
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office says a team of 15 detectives spent “eight productive hours Saturday” making seven arrests and “likely preventing additional drive-by shootings that have plagued Pontiac in recent weeks.”
Authorities say a team of detectives and agents from the ATF and officers with the Michigan Department of Corrections arrested three young men -- 18-year-old Anthony Curry, 18-year-old Omario Pate and 20-year-old Marcus Clark -- for the January shooting.
Police are still searching for a fourth suspect -- 19-year-old Immanuel Gates -- in connection with that shooting.
The incident -- which was caught on surveillance cameras -- unfolded around 1 a.m. on Jan. 3 in a public parking lot a few blocks from the 50th District Court in downtown Pontiac.
Authorities say the suspects were waiting for two other men in a car and attempted to ambush them, allegedly firing at the car as it drove behind the Waterman Building at 91. N. Saginaw Street. The two victims, ages 19 and 21, were injured in the shooting but have since recovered.
About four hours after the shooting, detectives found a gray minivan at a gas station in Pontiac. The van was occupied by four men whose clothing matched the descriptions of those involved in the shooting.
While a spent shell casing was found in the van -- which was later determined to match shell casings at the scene of the shooting -- the suspects denied involvement and no charges were filed at the time, according to the sheriff's office.
Fast forward to Saturday, detectives finally got additional information linking Gates and the three others to the minivan and with guns in their possession, the sheriff’s office says.
In a matter of eight hours, detectives had obtained arrest warrants and ultimately arrested the men in various locations throughout the city.
During the arrests, Curry allegedly rammed his vehicle into a police car while trying to get away. Police found a .40 caliber handgun in the vehicle, near his feet.
Curry, Clark and Pate have each been charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, carrying a concealed weapon, assault with intent to murder, and possession of a firearm while in the commission of a felony.
Police say Curry and Clark have prior concealed carry convictions, while Pate was on bond from Wayne County Circuit Court on the concealed weapons charge.
Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information that leads to Gates’s arrest. Anyone who knows where he is can submit anonymous tips to 1-800-SPEAK-UP. Gates is believed to be armed and dangerous.
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During their search for those involved in the January shootout, police also arrested four other men in unrelated cases.
While the suspects’ names have not yet been released, the sheriff’s office says the men were linked to other recent drive-by shootings.
Authorities have not said which shootings they are involved in, but charges are expected to be filed Wednesday.
Pontiac has seen a number of shootings in recent weeks, including one that left a man dead at a store on Halloween night and one that killed a woman while she was in a car with three others.
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Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said Curry ramming a police car while trying to avoid arrest is an example of why “these extremely dangerous individuals needed to be taken off the street and held accountable.”
“These are exactly the individuals that are causing large amounts of gun violence in communities across America,” Bouchard said. “Until it is re-established that possession and use of guns illegally will carry a stiff penalty, this violence will continue to grow.”
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