(WWJ) An Oakland County man is facing a trio of felony charges after it's alleged he tried to harm police officers during the protest of the murder of George Floyd in Detroit.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy says 36-year-old John Antoine Holliman of Southfield is facing two counts of Felonious Assault and one count Fleeing and Eluding Third Degree in connection with the alleged incident last Friday.
At around 9 p.m. that night, investigators say Holliman was driving in the area of Griswold and W. Fort Street during the protest when he saw two uniformed Detroit Police Department bicycle officers and drove directly at the officers, causing them to ride onto the sidewalk to escape harm.
After that, authorities say Holliman took off — fleeing from fully marked police cars northbound on 1-75 to the westbound I-94 freeway, at times reaching speeds over 100 miles per hour.
He eventually pulled into a gas station at Central Ave. and W. Vernor, where he was arrested by Michigan State troopers.
While Detroit authorities say they support the public's right to gather and demonstrate, city officials have made it clear that attacks on police officers will not be tolerated.
“While we clearly understand and support peaceful protests especially in this time of COVID and the murder of George Floyd, we cannot condone in any way the alleged actions of this defendant,” said Worthy, in a statement.
Bond for Holliman was set at 15,000/10% at an arraignment in 36th District Court Monday evening. Further court dates were not immediately set.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says most of the more than 100 people arrested during the protests in Detroit have been suburbanites. At a news conference Monday, he cautioned those who would come into the city intending to cause trouble.
"Make no mistake, our investigation of the group that is instigating this is not over, it is very intense," the mayor said. Duggan said, while he expects protests to continue, an 8 p.m. to 5 p.m. curfew will remain in effect until further notice.