(WWJ) Stratford Newton, 30, of Detroit, was arrested after allegedly robbing someone at Walmart, fleeing police in what ended up being a high-speed chase in a three-wheeled Dodge Charger, and then dumping his damaged car and fleeing on foot into the woods.
The incident began at about 4:05 p.m. Thurday when a Macomb County Sheriff's deputy saw a white Dodge Charger traveling recklessly down Hall Road near Gratiot.
"As the deputy attempted to make a traffic stop on the Charger, it began to flee," the Sheriff's Department wrote in a press release.
As Newton tried to maneuver away, the Charger crashed into two vehicles. The deputy stopped at the crash scene to check the occupants of the damaged vehicles.
While on scene, a male approached the deputy and said the driver of the Charger had just robbed him at the Chesterfield Township Walmart, while Macomb County dispatchers received several calls from citizens regarding the white Charger that continued to drive recklessly.
Deputies again located the vehicle and pursued it eastbound on I-94, eventually cutting off the chase when it was deemed too dangerous. By then, the Charger was damaged from the crash and appeared to have lost a tire. Still, the driver continued eastbound on I-94. The St. Clair County Sheriff's Office and Michigan State Police were notified of the incident and their officers who were in the area joined the pursuit.
A short time later, the Charger crashed on eastbound I-94 near Allington Rd. in St. Clair County. An MSP trooper observed a lone male exit the Charger and flee into the woods, and multiple Macomb County Sheriff units arrived to look for the man.
Eventually, the Macomb County Sheriff's Office was assisted in the search by the St. Clair County Sheriff's Office, the Michigan State Police, Homeland Security, and U.S. Border Patrol.
Newton was located and arrested. Police later determined the Charger had been stolen in Detroit. Newton faces charges of car theft, fleeing and eluding, operating a vehicle with a suspended or revoked license, and failure to stop at the scene of an accident. He's being held on a $30,000 bond.
One of the victims from the earlier crash was transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The Chesterfield Township Police Department is handling the incident at Walmart separately.
