SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (WWJ) – A 19-year-old Inkster man is in custody after allegedly opening fire on a vehicle along the Southfield Freeway in a fit of road rage, with a toddler nearly caught in the crossfire.
Southfield Police say it all unfolded around 11:20 a.m. Tuesday on M-39 in Detroit when the suspect fired at least three shots at a Chevy Avalanche pickup truck near Schoolcraft Road.
Authorities say the road rage stemmed from a dispute at a red light and the suspect following too closely. At some point, the suspect pulled out a gun and fired shots at the truck.
Police said no one inside the victims’ vehicle was injured, including an 18-month-old toddler, who was in a carseat in the back seat.
“Everyone’s very thankful that this precious, 18-month-old baby was not injured by gunfire,” Southfield Police Chief Elvin Barren said during a press conference Wednesday.
The victims’ vehicle was also not hit by gunfire, Barren said.
Detroit police responded to a 911 call and initiated a traffic stop. The suspect slowed, before ramming into a police car and speeding away from the scene.
Detroit police chased the alleged shooter through traffic, with speeds reaching up to 85 mph, but lost sight of the suspect's vehicle momentarily.
After the suspect was relocated, Southfield police continued the pursuit on Detroit city streets, before ramming into the suspect’s black sedan and taking him into custody in the area of Parkside and Santa Clara.
The chase and capture were caught on dash camera footage, which shows the suspect mowing down a stop sign before the police car rear ends the vehicle in the residential neighborhood and crashes into a brick wall outside of a home.
Authorities have not released the suspect’s name, but said he was expected to be arraigned on Wednesday afternoon.
The suspect has a criminal history of weapons offenses, police said.
The area near the shooting along the Southfield Freeway was shut down as police investigated early Tuesday afternoon. Detroit police recovered three shell casings, but did not find a gun.
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