3 charged in Chesterfield Township Verizon store robbery, police chase

CHESTERFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Three men have been arrested and charged in connection to a robbery Tuesday at the Verizon Wireless store on 21 Mile Road at Gratiot Avenue in Chesterfield Township.

Police say an officer who was making his normal rounds about 2:20 a.m. when he saw four men breaking into the store. As he approached them, three of the suspects fled on foot and the other drove off in a blue minivan headed west on Interstate 94. Officers learned the minivan had been reported stolen in Warren the day before. 

The chase reached speeds of 100 miles per hour before the suspect pulled over after several tires on the vehicle had been deflated. The men on foot were found in an overgrown area near Macomb Power Sports.

One of the men on foot was found with marijuana and the other had ammunition for a .40-caliber handgun. While police did not locate a handgun, several new iPhones were found near where the men were hiding.

The suspects were identified as Jordan Cates, 18, Kevin Powell, 25, and Marcus Bowman, 19. They face charges including breaking-and-entering and receiving-and-concealing stolen property. Cates faces an additional fleeing and eluding charge while Bowman faces a possession of marijuana charge.

All three have criminal histories that include arrests for weapons, burglaries, robberies and assaults. 

They all are being held on $50,000 bonds.

According to Chesterfield police, officers from Chesterfield, Roseville, Saint Clair Shores and Macomb County Sheriff's deputies worked together to apprehend the suspects.Â