DEARBORN, Mich. – The Dearborn Police Department held a press briefing at 11 a.m. Friday to share more details about an overnight incident that left two officers shot and one suspect in critical condition.
Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shahin said the officers were dispatched to the Pantheion Club on Michigan Avenue around 2:15 a.m. after receiving reports of an individual who was brandishing a firearm after reportedly getting into an argument on the premises.
When police arrived, the suspect refused to cooperate and fled the area in a white tow truck. It was at that point that two plain-clothed officers from Dearborn’s special investigations unit took over the pursuit and followed the suspect without his knowledge to a gas station in the area of Inkster and Van Born roads.
The officers then identified themselves and attempted to take the suspect into custody, but were met immediately with gunfire, according to Shahin. Two officers sustained non-life threatening injuries and were transported to a nearby hospital. They have since been released and are currently on paid leave.
Officers at the scene also returned fire and struck the suspect — identified as a 32-year-old Detroit resident with a “violent criminal history” who was released on parole in 2021 — but police said he returned to the tow truck and attempted to flee again.
While officers pursued the suspect’s vehicle, he allegedly threw two handguns out the window before coming to a stop and being taken into custody without incident.
“This could have easily been a fatal encounter for my officers,” Shahin said, adding that a bulletproof vest may have saved at least one of the injured officer’s life. “I’m extremely grateful that our officers have been released from the hospital and are recovering at home.”
Shahin said the two injured officers are both seasoned with around 10 years on the job. One sustained injuries to his stomach and arm, and the other was struck in the shoulder.
It’s not clear how many times the suspect was shot, though he remains in critical condition at a local hospital.
The incident remains under investigation by Michigan State Police.