Man charged with vandalizing gravestones at Macomb Township cemetery

MACOMB TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A 22-year-old Macomb Township man is accused of vandalizing more than two dozen gravestones in a cemetery and kicking out the window of a sheriff's office patrol car during his subsequent arrest.

The Macomb County Sheriff's Office said a witness called Wednesday evening to report that a man was knocking over gravestones in the Immanuel Lutheran Church cemetery, which is at Romeo Plank and 21 Mile roads.

The sheriff's office said that going off the description of the vandal given by the caller, a deputy tried to approach a man who was standing across the street from the cemetery, but the man started running and more deputies were called in help chase him.

He was eventually taken into custody by deputies, but they had to use a Taser-like device to subdue him.

While he was being held in the back of a patrol car, the suspect kicked out a window, the sheriff's office said.

The suspect, identified as Tyler Jay Bryant, was charged Thursday with malicious destruction of property, assaulting and resisting a police officer and malicious destruction of tombs or memorials.

In all, 26 gravestones were either knocked down or damaged.