Man who hurt 5 people in 2 shootings leads Detroit police on chase, crashes into tree

Officials link suspect to pair of Saturday shootings

Detroit police take a shooting suspect into custody on April 22, 2021, after a car chase. (WDIV)

DETROIT – A man wanted for injuring five people in two separate shootings over the weekend led Detroit police on a chase Thursday before crashing into a tree, officials said.

MORE: 1 dead, 5 injured in 4 separate Detroit shootings

Double shooting

The first shooting linked to the police chase suspect happened around 2:10 p.m. Saturday (April 17) in the 3800 block of Bewick Street on Detroit’s east side, according to authorities.

Multiple gunshots were fired, and two men -- 26 and 44 years old -- were struck by bullets, police said.

They were taken to a nearby hospital and listed as stable, officials said.

Triple shooting

Police said the same man was involved in another shooting about 20 minutes after the first.

Multiple shots were fired around 2:30 p.m. Saturday in the 12700 block of Wilshire Drive, also on the east side, authorities said.

The scene of an April 17, 2021, triple shooting in the 12700 block of Wilshire Drive on Detroit's east side. (WDIV)

Three men -- ages 23, 35 and 37 years old -- were injured, according to officials.

The men were taken to a nearby hospital. The 23-year-old was stable, the 35-year-old was in temporary serious condition and the 37-year-old was in critical condition.

Police chase

Detroit police started pursuing the man around 12:25 p.m. Thursday (April 22) in the area of Hayes Street and State Fair Avenue on Detroit’s east side.

Officials said the man, driving a silver Nissan, led them around the east side until he crashed into a tree around 12:45 p.m. in the area of Whittier Avenue and Wayburn Street.

“When you have five individuals who were shot in the city of Detroit, you know, it’s tough,” Detroit police Capt. Gerry Johnson said. “We look at traffic, the weather, the individuals involved, their experiences, and those were our proactive units with a lot of experience, so we were comfortable as supervisors to let this chase continue.”

You can watch surveillance video of the crash below.

After the crash, police said the man fled on foot before being taken into custody.

Officials are investigating if the man is linked to additional shooting incidents.


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.