DETROIT – A 42-year-old man was in court Thursday after police arrested him for leading them on a high-speed chase connected to an Amber Alert in Detroit.
Grady Barrett is accused of having been behind the wheel as the chase reached speeds in the triple digits and lasted for more than an hour. It all happened with a 2-year-old girl in the back seat of the pickup, police said.
Barrett is accused of kidnapping Sondra Renee in the middle of the night because he was angry at her mother. The FBI said he walked into their home with a machete, grabbed the child and took off.
He allegedly put the girl in the back, while he had a grown woman in the passenger's seat. The woman told FBI agents she thought she was along to do the baby's hair. She said she didn't know about the kidnapping.
Barrett was hauled into federal court and mumbled through most of his appearance. Sondra's mother said she's grateful he'll remain behind bars and out of their lives.
Dashcam video shows chase
The video comes from a city of Monroe police car and shows the first few moments of the chase, when an officer sees the passenger of a pickup looking back. The video shows the driver was initially unsure what to do.
You can watch the video below.
The Monroe police officer spotted Grady Barrett's pickup on I-275 North and radioed for backup. He turned on his lights and siren to try to pull the pickup truck over.
"He's not pulling over, not speeding off yet," the officer said.
That quickly changed as a Michigan State Police trooper took the lead and tried to force the pickup over. But after some cat and mouse, the pickup was able to get ahead as speeds soared into the triple digits.
The chase continued on I-94, I-96 and the Southfield Freeway before moving to surface streets.
A trooper finally spun the pickup out of control off 7 Mile Road onto Meyers Road.
Sondra Renee, 2, was rescued from the crashed pickup. She was not in a car seat.
The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office has the warrant and is reviewing it regarding two people who were arrested after the chase. Nobody is expected to be arraigned Wednesday.
More on Grady Barrett
According to the Michigan Department of Corrections, Barrett, 42, skipped out on probation in November 2012 in Wayne County.
Barrette went to prison in 1995 for assault and battery, carrying a concealed weapon and attempting to receive stolen property.
Barrett allegedly took 2-year-old Sondra Renee at knifepoint Tuesday morning from her aunt's home on Detroit’s west side. Police said the child belongs to Barrett's girlfriend and he is not the biological parent.
A machete was later seen sitting on the dashboard of Barrett's vehicle after the chase.
"They engaged in a pursuit that lasted quite some time, about 50 minutes, through several cities and counties," Detroit Police Deputy Chief David LeValley said.
Barrett was injured in the crash and taken to a hospital under arrest. A second person in the vehicle was taken into custody and the child was recovered safe.