Cleaning service employee murders coworker during fight at GM Orion Assembly plant, police say

48-year-old man taken into custody after Gregory Robertson killed, officials say

The General Motors Orion Assembly plant in Orion Township (WDIV)

ORION TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A fight between cleaning service employees led to one death and one arrest overnight at the General Motors Orion Assembly plant in Orion Township, police said.

Oakland County deputies said they were called at 1:37 a.m. Thursday (Aug. 11) to the plant on Giddings Road.

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When they arrived, officials found Gregory Lanier Robertson, 49, of Pontiac, unconscious and bleeding, they said. Deputies performed CPR, but they could not revive him, according to authorities. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday.

The 48-year-old man suspected of killing Robertson was found standing in a nearby dock area of the plant, police said. He was taken into custody without incident and brought to the Oakland County Jail.

Detectives said they will present the case to prosecutors on Friday for possible homicide charges.

Neither of the men involved in the altercation were General Motors employees, authorities said. They were both employed by a cleaning service contracted by GM.

Robertson had worked at the plant for about seven months, according to officials. It’s unclear how long the 48-year-old man had been employed at the plant.

Police said they recovered the item used in the attack.

Authorities continue to investigate what happened and the motive behind the attack.

The plant was shut down Thursday morning for the murder investigation, and employees are being turned away until it can reopen.


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.