STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. (WWJ) -- A suspect is in custody and police are searching for another after putting a stop to a home invasion in progress, thanks to a call from a 19-year-old babysitter.
Sterling Heights police received a call from the babysitter around 11 p.m. Friday, saying she had locked herself and the children she was watching in the master bedroom of the home in the 38700 block of Westchester Road, near 17 Mile and Mound Roads.
The teen said she could hear the suspects in the home.
Officers quickly arrived to the home and found broken glass in the back of the home and saw a suspect entering the home.
As officers tried to chase the suspect on foot, a second suspect in a getaway car also tried to flee the scene. As he pulled away, police say he deliberately struck one of the officers who was on foot.
The officer only sustained minor injuries after being hit. He was treated and released from the hospital.
That suspect -- later identified as 24-year-old Najib Bashar Azooz of Shelby Township -- then led officers on a high-speed chase in a black Mercedes-Benz.
After reaching speeds in excess of 100 mph, police say the suspect ran out of gas along M-59 near Auburn Road.
He was taken into custody without incident. Police are still looking for the other suspect.
Azooz has been charged with first-degree home invasion, assault with a dangerous weapon and fleeing a police officer. He was given a $250,000 cash/surety bond, or 10%, plus a GPS tether.
Azooz and the other suspect allegedly stole money and personal items from the home. Police have not provided a description of the second suspect.
The incident is still under further investigation and officials are asking anyone who knows something about the crime to contact the Sterling Heights Police Department’s Investigations Bureau at (586) 446-2825.
Sterling Heights police believe the home may have been targeted due to social media posts, though they are still investigating. Authorities say the family had been celebrating a family member’s wedding earlier in the day and had posted about the wedding on social media.
The department is cautioning the public of the dangers of posting photos and videos to social media “essentially advertising being away from home.”
While police are still investigating whether their posts were directly related to the attempted robbery, Lt. Mario Bastianelli tells WWJ such posts could make you a target.
“Upon doing so, you’re letting everybody in the public know what you’re doing and where you’re going to be later that evening,” Bastianelli said.
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Bastianelli says oftentimes criminals will see this as an opportunity to victimize people. Perhaps a better idea would be to wait until the next day or when you return home to post to social media, even if you feel you’re prepared.
“You think you’re doing the right thing, you hire a babysitter, you’re going to have a good time, not thinking that somebody’s going to be breaking into your house and stealing something or possibly harming one of your loved ones,” he said.
As for the babysitter, Bastianelli says she did the right thing by calling 911.
“Thankfully the babysitter was on her toes,” he said. “She contacted the police department immediately as soon as she thought something was not right, which gave us a head start on being able to catch these criminals.”
Her quick action and quick thinking to protect the kids inside the house allowed officers to arrive to the scene quickly and catch the suspects in the act, Bastianelli said.
Police have not disclosed the ages of the children the babysitter was watching.
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Department and a Michigan State Police helicopter assisted Sterling Heights Police in the pursuit of the suspect.
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