Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Fowlerville Police are searching for two suspects in connection with a gas station theft and injuring a local good Samaritan who tried to intervene.

Two male suspects walked into the Mobile Gas Station off Grand River and stole over $300 worth of liquor. They then fled the scene, but a local Good Samaritan/pedestrian tried to intervene and stop the suspects.

Police Chief John Tyler told WHMI they were dispatched around 9:45am on an initial report of a pedestrian being hit by a car but it was later updated as a hit-and-run. He said the good Samaritan is a 40-year-old Fowlerville man who is pretty well-known in the area and heard the clerk yelling at the suspects to stop.

Tyler said the man tried to stop the vehicle but the suspects floored it, and he got knocked to the side by the wheel-well and tossed around. He eventually grabbed the vehicle’s side mirror and got dragged down the road around 40-50 feet. Tyler said luckily, the man did not get run over but ended up in middle of the roadway and suffered some pretty bad road rash on his face, head, back and arms. The man was transported by EMS to a hospital and later released Monday evening.

Tyler said he believes this was most likely a gang-type incident or organized retail fraud ring – which law enforcement has been seeing all over the county. He referenced similar incidents at the Walmart store and other gas stations - especially those that are open 24-hours.

Tyler said it’s typically not those who reside in Fowlerville or even the county but other areas who are committing the crimes – noting the major roadways between Detroit, Lansing, and Jackson. Tyler noted further that the department has also been seeing an increase in mental health and some pretty gruesome domestic violence calls lately.

Tyler commented that in this type of situation, he understands why the Good Samaritan tried to stop the suspects. However, he said people should really avoid putting themselves in situations of imminent danger with unpredictable people who will do some pretty crazy things when they obviously don’t care about others' well-being, life, or property. Tyler said a lot of times, it’s just best to “observe and report” - get a good description, or get a cell phone out and take a photo.

With Monday’s incidnet, Tyler said it could have easily been a lot worse – adding “these people are clearly dangerous and just don’t care - and were ready to run someone over and do anything to get away with $300 worth of booze”.

Tyler said there are a lot of cameras in the area and the department is very proactive so it is only a matter of time before they identify the suspects from Monday’s incident. He said they’ve also been getting a lot of tips and want to get justice for the local man.

The suspects were seen driving a 2016-2020 black Chevy Malibu with dark tinted windows, chrome rims, and no license plate.

Anyone with tips or information is asked to contact Fowlerville Police at 517-223-8711 or 9-1-1.