SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – A man has been charged in connection with a “very bizarre” Southfield chase that began with reports of a woman being kidnapped and ended with two people being found in separate garbage cans.
Kidnapping reports
Officials were called around 7:30 p.m. Sunday (Aug. 21) to the area of 8 Mile Road and Shiawassee Street in Southfield. They said witnesses reported seeing a woman being forced into a gray SUV against her will.
“There’s a man trying to force a lady into an SUV,” one caller told the 911 operator.
When officers arrived, they saw the SUV at the scene and tried to make a traffic stop, according to Southfield police Chief Elvin Barren. The driver, later identified as Michael William Styles, 26, fled at a high speed, according to authorities.
Police chase
“There they go,” an officer said. “They’re taking off.”
Barren said officers tried a PIT maneuver, but it was unsuccessful. They coordinated with dispatchers and other officers because they were worried about the safety of the 23-year-old woman, who was believed to be a kidnapping victim at the time, Barren said.
The chase continued onto the Southfield Freeway and crossed into Detroit, police said. At times, Styles reached speeds of up to 100 mph, even on the Southfield Service Drive, authorities said.
“We’re going to go eastbound on 8 Mile,” an officer said. “Coming up on speeds of 100 mph.”
He almost crashed into multiple cars, and he sped through a red light at 7 Mile Road while going 80 mph, police said.
Styles lost control of the SUV and crashed into a tree in the area of Ashton Avenue and Pilgrim Street, according to Barren.
“Crashed out -- Pilgrim and Ashton,” an officer said.
When officers got to the crash scene, nobody was inside the SUV, they said. Police set up a perimeter in the neighborhood and started searching yards.
Styles arrested in garbage can
Neighbors in the area said their block captain started calling around and asking everyone to check their cameras. Rep. Rashida Tlaib is the one who spotted Styles on video, according to authorities.
“The story is that our block captain has everyone’s number,” resident George Williams said. “She got a response from Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, who happened to look at her monitoring system and saw the guy in her backyard,”
Moments later, police found Styles hiding in a trash can, they said. He was taken into custody without further incident.
Styles was arraigned Tuesday morning on charges of receiving and concealing a stolen motor vehicle, third-degree fleeing and eluding, and fourth-degree fleeing and eluding.
He is being held on $10,000 bond, cash/surety.
His next court appearance is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Aug. 31.
Woman also found hiding in garbage can
The 23-year-old woman was found hiding in another garbage can a few doors down from where police found Styles, the chief said.
“It was very bizarre for our officers because, again, we thought that we had a kidnapping situation in progress,” Barren said.
It was not a kidnapping, but rather, some type of domestic dispute, he believes.
“Here we are thinking that you are a potential victim, but you’re fleeing along with the suspect,” Barren said.
Detroit EMS officials were called to the scene to treat Styles and the woman for scratches from the crash. They are both stable, Barren said.
There are still questions about what exactly took place at 8 Mile Road and Shiawassee Street.
“It does appear by witness statements that she was forced into the vehicle, but it’s unknown because she’s not really cooperating with us at this point, to what level of kidnapping,” Barren said. “Was it a domestic argument where he was trying to get her to go to wherever their next location was, or was she trying to get away from him and then she was forced inside the vehicle?”
Even though she wasn’t cooperating with the police, the woman was released.
“At this point, there’s no charges that she could face,” Barren said. “Right now, we’re looking at her as a potential victim, and then we’ll let the investigative process determine where our next steps are.”
You can watch Barren’s full update below.