DEARBORN, Mich. – What started as a carjacking early Friday morning ended with a crash leaving a massive amount of damage at a cemetery in Dearborn.
Police say it all started miles away in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven in Garden City before ending at Mount Kelly Cemetery on Cherry Hill.
The historic cemetery, which has graves dating back to the 1830s, has received a lot of damage.
“I never used this word before, but it’s a little surreal,” said John Schroeder. “Never know what’s going to happen.”
Schroeder has several family members buried at Mount Kelly Cemetery in Dearborn. He rushed over Friday (May 19) morning after hearing a car crash through the fence, causing significant damage.
“I could see where the statue of Jesus was and wanted to get over and see if the headstones and gravestones were intact here in our little area,” Schroeder said.
“They took out the sacred heart statute and ran that over,” said neighbor Thomas Korte.
The impact of the crash also took out a telephone pole and a fire hydrant and damaged the fence and curb.
“I said, ‘Wow, what happened’ it was different,” Korte said.
The crash occurred during a high-speed police chase that started around 1 a.m. Friday morning.
We have had some media inquires about video from the pursuit in Dearborn overnight. This was our only involvement in that incident. pic.twitter.com/9DTrFBAyF0
— MSP Second District (@mspmetrodet) May 19, 2023
Police say a group stole a car in Dearborn and then used that stolen vehicle to carjack a couple in Garden City.
Emily Andres was at a 7-Eleven when she and her boyfriend were carjacked.
They called the police, and Friday morning, Andres scoured the cemetery looking for her belongings.
Police say the driver of the carjacked vehicle took off running and was arrested a few blocks away.
“This person was lucky to be alive,” said Dearborn PIO Corporal Dan Bartok. “It’s not worth it. Don’t run from the police.”
“I do a lot of work out here,” said Mount Kelly Cemetary Manager Elena Lovelace. “We take great pride in keeping this place looking good, and to have someone wipe out a whole corner, they did a lot of damage.”
“The reality is no one is safe when these people flee from police, not even the dead,” Dearborn police Chief Issa Shahin.
Lovelace said the headstones weigh more than 3,000 pounds, giving you a sense of how fast the suspect was driving when they crashed into the cemetery.
Officials say several people were arrested.