BRIGHTON TWP. (WWJ) – A man who allegedly caused a crash while driving drunk near Brighton Township on Wednesday afternoon is behind bars after trying to take an Uber ride to flee the scene.
It all unfolded around 2:30 p.m. when Livingston County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the area of Kensington and Stobart Roads in response to a two-car crash.
Witnesses told deputies the driver who was at-fault fled into a nearby wooded area.
Deputies deployed a drone in the area to search for the suspect, who was spotted hiding behind a trailer between two buildings.
As more deputies were being called in, a black SUV pulled up and the suspect got in. Not long after the SUV pulled onto Kensington, a deputy pulled in front of the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop.
The suspect was taken into custody without further incident.
“Here's a crazy detail for you... the driver of the vehicle who picked up the suspect was working for Uber and had no idea of what had happened, he was just picking up a route!” the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post.
The suspect, a 35-year-old Canton man, was taken to the Livingston County Jail for operating while intoxicated, driving with a suspended license and failing to stop and identify at the scene of a crash. His name was not released.
“We're crossing our fingers the rest of the day isn't so wild,” officials said in the Facebook post, which came hours after responding to a call in Fowlerville where a man reported he had a live WWII anti-aircraft munition.