HOWELL TOWNSHIP (WWJ) - Authorities in Livingston County pulled out all the stops to put an end to a dangerous, high speed chase after the suspect tried to flee police while going the wrong way on I-96 on Sunday.
According to the Livingston County Sheriff's Office, the chase began just before 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 8 as deputies tried to pull over a vehicle with a stolen registration plate as it was traveling on west on I-96 near M-59 in Howell Township.
Once the deputies activated their emergency lights, the suspect driver in the 2021 Toyota Rav4 sped off, reaching speeds of over 100 mph while attempting to get away.
"A Fowlerville police officer was in position on westbound I-96 about a mile west of Fowlerville Road to deploy stop sticks," the sheriff's office said in a press release. "When the suspect observed the Fowlerville patrol car, the Toyota cut across the median to avoid the stop sticks."
The SUV crossed the median and began driving west in the eastbound lanes. Quick-thinking deputies immediately performed a PIT maneuver (precision immobilization technique) to keep the driver from traveling in the wrong direction.
The Toyota spun into the median and came to a stop, allowing police to arrest the suspect, identified by deputies as a 34-year-old man from Detroit.
There were no reports of injuries in the incident and the maneuver only caused minor damage to the two vehicles, authorities said.
Upon further investigation, deputies found the registration plate on the Toyota actually belonged to a 2012 Ford Taurus which was reported stolen out of Detroit. The Toyota itself was also a stolen vehicle reported through the Southfield Police Department.
Authorities said the incident remains under investigation, but charges are pending.