'Kill all police, kill James Craig' written on Detroit building; suspect arrested

Graffiti on Detroit building threatens Detroit police chief

DETROIT – A suspect has been arrested after a threat was made against police Friday in the form of a graffiti message written on the wall of a building near W. State Fair Avenue and Exeter Street in Detroit.

Police said the message threatened Detroit police Chief James Craig.

"Kill all police," was written on the wall in white. "Kill James Craig" was written just below it in black.

Police believe the message was spray-painted on the wall sometime during the night.

Officers said they have increased their awareness after seeing the message. They said they take the threat extremely seriously, even though threats against police have become more common.

"Cowards," Craig said of the people who left the message. "There's only one thing to say. Not one of them would do the job that our men and women in blue would do. We run toward gunfire. They run away. They're cowards. They hide behind the basements of their parents' home in some instances. In this case, the person probably came out at dark and did this."

Police said the person responsible could face felony terror threat charges, if arrested and convicted.

"Given the environment that we're in today, we don't take threats lightly," Craig said. "Any time you threaten a Detroit police officer, and now the Detroit police chief, that's a threat on all of us."

A person who lives near the building and a worker at the business said the same message was left on the wall two weeks ago. When it was reported, city workers came out and power-washed it off.

Police said they didn't know about the other instance, but now they are investigating that, too.

There's a surveillance video camera on the corner and another one nearby, but neither one captured the suspect who left the message. The owner of the building is trying to position the camera so that it can catch the person if he or she returns.

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About the Author:

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.