Car crash ends I-75 chase after Meijer electronics case break-in
A West Virginia man and a Detroit teen were booked after their vehicle struck a construction zone near South Otter Creek Road Thursday evening.
By Carolina Wood ·
A 27-year-old man from Fairmont, West Virginia, and a 17-year-old male from Detroit are in custody following a robbery and high-speed pursuit on Interstate 75 south of Monroe. The incident began around 6 p.m. Thursday when the Monroe County Central Dispatch reported that two individuals had broken into an electronics display case at the Meijer store on U.S. 24/Telegraph Road in Frenchtown Township.
A deputy located the suspects' vehicle traveling northbound on M-125/Monroe Street near Mall Road. When the officer attempted to stop the car, the driver accelerated northbound. The vehicle proceeded through the merge into U.S. 24, reached the Interstate 275 interchange, and continued southbound on I-275 before joining I-75 southbound.
The chase concluded when the car left the highway and collided with infrastructure in the I-75 construction zone near South Otter Creek Road. Both occupants exited the vehicle and ran into a nearby field. Law enforcement personnel used a drone to locate the two individuals hiding in the grass.
The driver was taken into custody and lodged at the Monroe County Jail, where an arraignment hearing is pending in Monroe County First District Court. The passenger was held at the Monroe County Youth Center.
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office is investigating the break-in and the pursuit. Investigators said the suspects may also be connected to retail thefts at other Meijer locations in the Downriver area. The Monroe Police Department, Luna Pier Police Department, and Michigan State Police assisted with the response.
Deputies asked members of the public with information to contact the Monroe County Sheriff's Office at 734-240-7758.
