(WWJ) While Detroit is famous for its iconic chili dog "the coney," Coney Island restaurants, it seems, have become increasingly infamous in connection with crime.
After a handful of notable incidents last year, here's a rundown of nine that occurred in or outside a Coney Island in metro Detroit in 2019:
WOMAN KNOCKED OUT: In January, Roseville police said they were investigating a possible hate crime at the National Coney Island on Groesbeck Hwy. near 12 Mile Rd. According to investigators, a man -- with three companions -- walked up to a car that was backing out of a parking spot, and began yelling obscenities. Realizing that she hadn't noticed the man while backing up, the driver got out to apologize. But when she did, the victim reported the suspect called her a racial slur and then punched her in the face, knocking her out.
SHOOTOUT CAUSES PANIC: In June, a witness reported "glass shattering and people running, screaming" as shots rang out in the parking lot of the Super Coney Island, at 24-hour restaurant on Wyoming and Lynden on Detroit's west side. More than a dozen shell casings were left behind, but police did not confirm whether anyone was injured.
MELEE OVER FRIED MUSHROOMS: Twin brothers convicted in a shooting said to be over fried mushrooms will spend up to 30 years behind bars. Dwight and Dwane pleaded guilty to assault with intent to murder and a gun charge in connection with the incident last June, at Nicky D's Coney Island at 7 Mile Rd. and Greenfield in northwest Detroit. The pair became irate, witnessed said, when they were told the restaurant didn't serve fried mushrooms. They left, but returned with a metal pipe and a gun.
FOUR ARRESTED AFTER FIGHT: In August, one of Detroit's most iconic coney island restaurants turned into a battleground after a customer was refused service and asked to leave, sparking a melee that ended with broken glass in the chili. Four people were arrested at Lafayette Coney Island, including the customer — who shattered a front window — and three employees who police said rushed hin outside.
SHOOTING VICTIM SEEKS HELP: Also in August, customers at an east side Detroit coney island were shocked when a manstaggered in bleeding and pleading for help. Police said he a victim of a shooting at a nearby block party at Hamburg and 7 Mile Road. At least three people were wounded, police said, including a teenager, when a gunman opened fire into a crowd. It's unclear if the shooter was ever identified.
MAN RUN OVER: In September, police said a fight over a woman inside the 8 Mile Grill, a coney island on 8 Mile Road near Livernois in Detroit, led to a hit-and-run in the parking lot. Police said one of the men got into his Ford pickup truck and ran over the other — a 58-year-old man who died at the scene.
SECURITY GUARD STABBED: A St. Clair Shores man is facing attempted murder and other charges after he allegedly stabbed a Royal Oak man outside American Coney Island on W. Lafayette Blvd. in downtown Detroit. Police said the victim was working as a security guard at the popular restaurant in September when he got into an argument with a group of people. The dispute escalated into a physical fight, during which it's alleged that 21-year-old David Golze produced a knife. He's awaiting trial.
THREE PEOPLE SHOT: In November, a group was leaving Deluxe Coney Island, on 7 Mile Road and Conant Street, when someone in a dark-colored sedan pulled up a started shooting at them as they drove away. Two women, ages 25 and 39, and a 39-year-old man were shot and seriously injured. Police have not announced any charges in the case.
WOMAN SET ON FIRE: Also in November, citizens flagged down a Redford Township police officer near a Coney Island restaurant at 7 Mile Rd. and Beech Daly, where they found a woman "lying on the ground emitting smoke." William Helmer of Farmington Hills — identified police as a convicted felon with a violent past — is charged with attempted murder, accused of setting the victim on fire. She had severe burned to het body, but survived. Helmer, who was arrested by a U.S. Marshal Task Force, is jailed without bond awaiting trial.