A Michigan man accused of stealing from a closed garden center took off in a pickup truck and trailer after an officer told him he was under arrest, according to the Eastpointe Police Department. The escape quickly became messier when police say the trailer began falling apart and dumping landscaping tools across the roadway.
Officers responded to English Gardens on Kelly Road in Eastpointe at around 1:40 a.m. on September 25 after receiving a report of a suspicious man “prowling around” inside the closed business. A witness also told dispatchers that a landscaping truck and trailer were parked across the street.
Police arrived as the truck was leaving and conducted a traffic stop, finding the trailer loaded with items from English Gardens and without a license plate. Officers spoke with the lone driver, identified by authorities as 38-year-old Jeremy Johnson, before eventually telling him to get out of the truck because he was under arrest.
That apparently ended his cooperation, as police say Johnson started the truck and accelerated while an officer stood at the driver’s door. The truck struck the officer before the attached trailer ran over the officer’s legs, and Johnson then fled with police in pursuit.
Trailer Starts Falling Apart
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The chase continued with assistance from neighboring departments and eventually entered Detroit, where police say Johnson attempted to strike several police vehicles. According to ThisIsButter, investigators said Johnson also drove into oncoming traffic and reached speeds of around 90 mph during the pursuit.
Meanwhile, the trailer being dragged behind the pickup was apparently struggling to survive the getaway. Police say it became damaged and began littering the roadway with landscaping tools and other equipment, with the resulting debris damaging at least one police vehicle.
ThisIsButter reports that the pursuit ultimately ended on Keystone Street in Detroit, where Johnson abandoned the vehicle and continued his escape on foot. The Metro Detroit News adds another wrinkle to the getaway, reporting that Johnson tried to sit on a porch and disguise himself before police arrested him.
The images used in the featured image were provided by Macomb County News.
Expensive Bond After Chase
Eastpointe Police said the injured officer received medical care and was later released, while Johnson was treated for minor injuries at a local hospital before being lodged at the Macomb County Jail. The department thanked the Warren and St. Clair Shores police departments for assisting with a pursuit that stretched through multiple jurisdictions.
The Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office charged Johnson with second-degree fleeing a police officer, breaking and entering without breaking with intent, resisting or obstructing a police officer causing injury, and assault with a dangerous weapon. Those offenses carry maximum terms of 10 years, five years, four years, and four years, respectively, according to Eastpointe Police, while prosecutors also filed a fourth-offense habitual offender notice.
According to ThisIsButter, prosecutors told the court that Johnson had recently completed probation for previous crimes at the beginning of September. Magistrate Mark Makoski told Johnson during the hearing that the habitual offender notice meant he was now facing the possibility of life in prison.
The Metro Detroit News reports that Johnson argued during his arraignment that he was not a danger to the community and said he had smoked marijuana, adding that he does not normally purchase it from people he meets at gas stations. Makoski called Johnson a danger to the community and ordered him held on a $1 million cash or surety bond, while Eastpointe Police said the conditions also included a steel cuff tether and home confinement.
ThisIsButter reports that Johnson is due back in court on October 8 at 8 a.m. Eastpointe Police emphasized that Johnson is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.