Man Suspected In Father's Death Caught In Livingston County
January 18, 2019
A suspect being chased by police was apprehended Thursday night in Livingston County.
A 31-year-old man is being held after his 73-year-old father was found deceased late Thursday evening in a home they both shared on Elmhurst in Royal Oak. Relatives had notified police that they were concerned about their father after making repeated phone calls to him and the man’s son. Police responded and located the father deceased inside the house with his hands and legs bound. Officers discovered the father’s vehicle missing and attempted to locate it along with the man’s son. As the investigation continued, officers learned a Berrien County deputy had contact with the son early Thursday morning because the vehicle had run out of gas on I-94 near the Indiana border. As a broadcast was sent to agencies throughout Michigan and neighboring states, Gratiot County deputies were called to investigate a subject acting erratically at a gas station Thursday evening. Deputies identified the subject as the son and were alerted he was wanted in connection with a homicide investigation in Royal Oak.
As the deputies began taking him into custody, he violently assaulted the deputies and fled in the vehicle, sparking an hour-long pursuit through several counties. Gratiot County deputies pursued the vehicle through Clinton, Ingham, and Livingston Counties while other deputies along the pursuit route deployed spike strips, which disabled all four tires of the vehicle. The vehicle became completely disabled on I-96 near Howell where the son was taken into custody with the assistance of the Livingston County Sheriff deputies. No other injuries were reported during the pursuit. The son was taken into custody and then taken to St. Joseph Mercy Livingston Hospital for treatment of minor injuries. He was then turned over to Royal Oak Police, which are continuing the investigation. The father is believed to have passed earlier this week and an autopsy is scheduled today to determine the cause of death.
The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office said deputies joined in the pursuit of the white 2008 Chrysler Sebring, which concluded on I-96 west of Mason Road after the vehicle became disabled. The Office will be submitting a warrant request to the Livingston County Prosecutor's Office and requesting charges of Fleeing and Eluding and Resisting and Obstructing Police. Eastbound I-96 was shut down for two hours during the incident. (JM)