Police find man slumped over steering wheel, mobile meth lab in minivan on freeway in Detroit

Michigan State Police say man was found brain-dead after overdose

DETROIT – Michigan State Police found a man slumped over the wheel of a running minivan and a mobile meth lab on the Lodge Freeway during rush hour in Detroit.

Troopers received several calls about the man Monday afternoon, but what they discovered placed drivers in danger during rush hour.

Drivers thought the man just needed help, but it turns out there was methamphetamine cooking inside the van.

The Lodge Freeway and the I-94 junction is well-traveled, and around rush hours, traffic slows down. That's how drivers noticed something strange about the man slumped over the wheel of a minivan.

But it turns out the man had a mobile meth lab on the freeway.

"It's very dangerous," a police officer said. "A lot of lives could have been lost if there was an accident on the road."

Meth is an extremely addictive drug. The chemicals used to make it are highly flammable and explosive.

When MSP troopers ran across the active mobile meth lab, they suited up to make sure the situation didn't escalate. They wanted to avoid an explosion on the freeway.

Police used Narcan to attempt to revive the man, but he was already brain-dead, according to MSP. Drivers said this situation shows everyone is impacted by the drug epidemic.

"There are so many factors at play," one resident said. "It's just something we need to untangle as a society so we won't have instances like this happening more often."

Michigan State Police troopers found a man unconscious in the van due to an overdose. (WDIV)
Officials removed the cook from the meth lab inside the van. (WDIV)

About the Authors:

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.