Police: Suspect shot and killed after charging troopers with knife
A wrecker prepares to take away the pickup truck driven by a 20-year-old Washtenaw County man who was shot dead by a state police trooper after crashing into this Northfield Township home and charging police with a knife early Tuesday morning.
John Counts | AnnArbor.com
- Updated article: Police release name of teenager killed by police after lunging at officers with a knife
- Previous article: Car bombing suspect shot by police after chase ends with crash into house
A Michigan State Police trooper shot and killed a 20-year-old man from Washtenaw County after a police chase that ended early Tuesday morning when the suspect crashed a pickup truck into a house and then came at troopers with a knife, police said.
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- Former Huron High School classmate of man shot dead after police chase: 'He was just a normal kid'
- Police: Suspect shot and killed after charging troopers with knife
- Fugitive crashes into couple's house: 'We saw a pickup truck right next to the bed'
- Police release name of teenager killed by police after lunging at officers with a knife
- Police video: Watch traffic stop, gunshots and chase before fatal shooting
The incident began about 2:30 a.m. near Six Mile and Napier roads in Wayne County’s Northville Township when police were called to investigate a house fire that appeared to have been intentionally set, said Lt. Joel Allen, commander of the Brighton post of the Michigan State Police.
"We know there had been some arsons or attempted arsons in that area in the past month or so," Allen said, adding that earlier media reports that the incident involved a car bombing are incorrect.
As Northville Township police arrived, a man fled from them in a red pickup truck and shot at and struck the police car. State police later found a .22 caliber revolver in the truck, Allen said.
Police chased the car west on Six Mile Road. As the suspect crossed into Washtenaw County, two state police cars from the Brighton post joined the chase.
The pickup plowed through this sign before crashing into the house.
John Counts | AnnArbor.com
“At that point (the suspect) exited on foot, ran down the road a short ways, produced a knife and charged one of the troopers … who fired one round and the subject was deceased at the scene,” Allen said.
Investigators from the Michigan State Police crime lab processed the scene throughout Tuesday morning. By 10 a.m., a wrecker had towed away the pickup truck and police cleared the scene and opened the intersection back up to traffic.
Allan said the trooper was authorized to use deadly force in the situation. Still, the trooper has been placed on administrative leave as part of normal protocol as the matter is investigated, he added.
Annette Kovala and Kevin McGraw were asleep when the truck plowed into Kovala's house.
Kovala said the man was so close to her, she was sure he could hear her when she screamed.
"I think I scared the guy," she said.
Police were expected to release more information Tuesday afternoon.
View Car Bombing Chase in a larger map
Comments
Ponycar
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 3:57 p.m.
You might want to change the caption under the map. It says "Car Bombing Suspect". But this didn't actually involve a car bombing.
woodyr
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 3:45 a.m.
I worked with this man just a few months back and was told about this by a fellow employee this morning. He was not a "thug" at all. He certainly had some problems, as you can see, but I know he had a rough past. He was a nice guy. Never showed any harm towards me or my coworkers. I actually think he knew what he was getting himself into, sad enough to say.
Ann English
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 11:10 p.m.
John Counts, I know the locations of all 20 Washtenaw County townships. Calling this house a Northfield Township house prompted me to write out all 20 from memory, over 20 squares, 4 squares north-south, 5 squares east-west. Salem Township is due east of Northfield Township and is the northeast corner of our county. Earlier reports said the house is in Salem Township. I don't know about Dixboro Road forming any border between townships, but do know that Napier Road separates Washtenaw County from Wayne County. WAAM radio got it right shortly after 6 am, saying a car was in flames. No explosions. Car bombs are aimed at people inside them, not at cars themselves.
genetracy
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 10:46 p.m.
And to think he was such a nice lad who was turning his life around.
Doug
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 9:43 p.m.
One less thug not to have to worry about and we don't even have to pay to support him in prison. Good shot!
birdwatcher
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 9:35 p.m.
Unfortunately, this is a case of a kid gone bad. My daughter used to hang out with him years ago. He seemed like a nice kid with a supportive family and friends. Very sad.
Ann English
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 11:14 p.m.
Good parenting of your daughter, then. I'm taking it that this young man got corrupted by a bad girl, like one Matthew Appleton of Livingston County was years ago. At least Appleton got to live. He didn't kill his girlfriend's guardian without her pushing him to do it.
Alex Chmiel
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 9:32 p.m.
People who I know knew the guy and are posting "RIP" constantly. But I'm sitting here thinking "Like RIP and all but if you charge cops with a knife after a gun fight what the hell did you think was going to happen?"
Momma G
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 9:04 p.m.
When will thugs learn? You don't fire a gun at a police office, you don't pull a knife on one and you don't run from the police. At least we won't be paying your way through the judicial system and other homeowners are now safe from fires and burglaries, at least by you.
Jack
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 7:09 a.m.
I think this is a bit more complicated than that.
Kitty
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 8:36 p.m.
Surely there must be ways to stop a guy with a knife without killing him.
a2citizen
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 9:39 p.m.
Are you related to Peter Baker? See the first comment.
sometimesIwonder
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 8:46 p.m.
Read Blue34's response. Sounds like Blue34 is a cop and tells you exactly why the suspect was shot...
Kitty
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 8:36 p.m.
who was the suspect
Peggy
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 8:22 p.m.
@John Counts, you need to correct the township in the caption under the picture of the red truck on the wrecker. It reads "Northfield" Township, should be "Northville" Township.
Ann English
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 11:17 p.m.
I'm concluding from this story that Northville Township is a Wayne County township due east of Salem Township. I don't know the Wayne County townships and their locations relative to each other like I do Washtenaw and Livingston County's townships.
Kyle Mattson
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 8:56 p.m.
Peggy, the town of Northfield is a few miles west of the location, but the actual border of the township is Diixboro Road putting this in that address. Check out the map link sometimesiwonder posted and you'll see what I mean.
Peggy
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 8:47 p.m.
Sorry SometimesIwonder, the truck crashing into the house occurred in Northville Township. Northfield Township is about 10 miles west of there. I live there.
sometimesIwonder
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 8:41 p.m.
No Peggy - John is correct that this is in Northfield Township not Northville Township. Here's a link to the twp map... https://maps.google.com/maps?q=northfield+township+map&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x882352d6d70cfe15:0x499331803b004cfe,Northfield,+MI&gl=us&ei=7KgaUaG-KYTk2QWiuYCYCQ&ved=0CDEQ8gEwAA
RoboLogic
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 8:12 p.m.
That shoot... was as good as they come. No innocents hurt, even better.
Victoria Merinsky
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 7:46 p.m.
I wonder hmmm.. if that truck will match up with the one stolen at Arrowwood ? Curious will see..
Peggy
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 8:26 p.m.
Victoria, the one stolen at Arrowwood was a full sized Ford Super Duty, this truck is a Ranger.
blue34
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 6:43 p.m.
Next not nest....
blue34
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 6:42 p.m.
Mr. Baker why do you feel that a knife is less lethal than a gun? Do you know that the minumum safe distance between a person with a knife and an officer is 21 feet. Even then the officer only has time to draw and fire 1 round before the assailant is on him and doing damage. I love how people who have never done the job always criticize those that are trained to do the job and do it day in and day out. educate yourself before you make yourself sound anymore ignorant than you already are. Its not a Police Officer's job to get hurt or killed because of idiots who want to harm them. You try working the road and having your family worry about you coming home every night. Go get some real training and knowledge before you post nest time. Leave the dirty work to those of us who know what we are doing
Ann English
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 10:57 p.m.
I once read of two men who killed each other, one with a gun, one with a knife. It can happen.
Zhuk
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 9:13 p.m.
Blue34 is 100% correct about distance and a knife. If the knife wielder was able to get onto the officer before he drew his weapon, even a very small knife with say a 2" blade could have been used to quickly kill the officer. Huge scary Rambo knives unusally only show up in movies (along with kitchen knives). Small folding pocket knives can be extremely lethal and hard to defend against not to mention silent and very quick. Not only would it be inflicting injury, but unlike a firearm, nobody would hear it and the knife wielder could continue making attacks on the victim/target was incapacitated or deceased. Just my thoughts.
Peter Baker
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 8:49 p.m.
Relax, the first version of this article didn't say anything about him shooting at the police before crashing, or much else actually. I wasn't even criticizing the cop for doing it, just hoping that holding a knife isn't immediate shoot-to-kill criteria these days.
EyeHeartA2
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 6:09 p.m.
Does this mean we don't get to house and feed him for the next 15 years?
PineyWoodsGuy
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 4:47 p.m.
The Prep had a bladed weapon, in the blackness of the middle of the night. It was metallic. Could have been a gun. Why should the trooper take a chance? The perp violated the Basic rule of combat: Those who live by the sword die by those who live by the gun.
John of Saline
Wed, Feb 13, 2013 : 8:15 p.m.
Ann, as they say, "that's the joke."
Ann English
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 10:55 p.m.
When you wrote "Prep," I thought you meant to write "Perp" for perpetrator.
PineyWoodsGuy
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 5:53 p.m.
Well, John of Saline, he was 20 yrs old. He could have been a college boy "preppie" out at night, doing research for his Term Paper in his Sociology class.
John of Saline
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 5:20 p.m.
If he was a prep, he'd have a tennis racket, a set of golf clubs and maybe a sweater-vest with him.
Superior Twp voter
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 4:43 p.m.
If my memory serves me, this off-red Ford Ranger was described after several B & E's in that area and was a BOL (be on lookout) vehicle.
Billy
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 3:39 p.m.
What about the information that the plate on the truck was intentionally covered up?
dancinginmysoul
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 4:36 p.m.
WDIV reported this morning about the license plate, I saw that too Billy.
John Counts
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 4 p.m.
Hi Billy: I was just at the scene and spoke with state police Lt. Joel Allen. He did not mention anything about the license plate being covered up. We are still gathering information about this incident, though.
SemperFi
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 3:24 p.m.
Committing arson, shooting at a trooper, then attacking them with a knife in one day is never going to end well.
Tru2Blu76
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 8:26 p.m.
It's a sign!! ;-)
Paul
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 8:15 p.m.
True, true
Unusual Suspect
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 3:24 p.m.
And even if the officer did shoot to disable, the thug can still die from it. A shot in the leg can hit an artery. The best option would have been to not blow up a car and shoot at a police officer, then he wouldn't have had to take that chance.
thinker
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 10:20 p.m.
The car bombing report was incorrect, they said.
Paul
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 8:14 p.m.
The state also would have to pay for his medical treatment, the state doesn't have to pay for his funeral
nunya III
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 3:36 p.m.
Finally a voice of reason on this blog
Judy
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 3:22 p.m.
Please change the time of the cash I heard this report on Chanel 4 news this morning before 6AM. Doesn't any one proof read AnnArbor.com stories before they are posted?
Cindy Heflin
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 3:36 p.m.
You're right Judy. That part was confusing. I've removed the "about 9:30" from the sentence saying the truck was still up against the house. When things are happening and we're trying to get information out as quickly as possible, these kinds of editing errors can happen.
Unusual Suspect
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 3:31 p.m.
And do you not proof read your comments? Do you mean, "And do you not proof read your comments? Do you mean cash or crash? See how easy it is to make a mistake? We are all humans." We are all humans.
music to my ear
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 3:29 p.m.
and do you not proof read your comments, do you mean cash or crash see how easy it is to make a mistake. we are all humans.
Unusual Suspect
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 3:29 p.m.
I'm guessing she was speaking of, "The truck was still up against the house where it had crashed about 9:30..."
SemperFi
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 3:27 p.m.
It says "The incident began about 2:30 a.m." State Police crime lab were still at the scene just before 9:30 Tuesday morning.
Cindy Heflin
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 3:27 p.m.
Hi Judy: The story says the incident began about 2:30 a.m. I'm not sure I understand your comment.
Unusual Suspect
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 3:26 p.m.
I think the "about 9:30" was supposed to apply to "The truck was still up against the house" not "where it had crashed." But you're right, it's a confusing way to word it.
Unusual Suspect
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 3:11 p.m.
"came at troopers with a knife" Mmmm, yeah, you shouldn't do that.
Peter Baker
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 3 p.m.
Surely there must be ways to stop a guy with a knife without killing him.
Paul
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 8:13 p.m.
Sure but then the law would have to deal with him and the state would need to pay for his medical treatment. This way is cheaper all around
Frank Lee
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 7:32 p.m.
@HB11- I read the initial article this morning which made no mention of the suspect firing at police. I was speed reading this updated article and missed that information in paragraph 4. There was no need to quote paragraph 1. Heading to CVS now.
Ricebrnr
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 6:52 p.m.
ugh, so much fail.
Peter Baker
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 6:33 p.m.
"If you want to live, don't charge at the cops - with anything." Totally agreed, I would just like to think that our police are trained in methods of takedown other than shooting center mass. But yes, I get it, he shot at them, it was dark, etc, so kill him, fine.
HB11
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 6:17 p.m.
@Frank Lee, did you actually read the article? CVS has a good selection of reading glasses if you need some. 1st paragraph "...and then came at troopers with a knife, police said." 4th paragraph "... a man fled from them in a red pickup truck and shot at and struck the police car."
GoNavy
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 6:08 p.m.
Not really. A knife attack can be very dangerous and often fatal. Either way, I'd just use the gun. Long story short: If you want to live, don't charge at the cops - with anything.
Frank Lee
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 6 p.m.
There is nothing that says this man brandished a firearm or shot at police. Did I miss something or are a lot of these comments presumptuous? It only says that they found a gun in the truck and was carrying a knife when he was shot by police.
Charley Sullivan
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 5:43 p.m.
Uhmmm . . . understanding it's dark and sudden, but perhaps try aiming at the lower half of his body first and see if it drops him??
nowayjose
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 5:36 p.m.
Doesn't matter if he fired or not. Pulling a knife on a cop will get you shot.
Peter Baker
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 4:08 p.m.
"The information about him having a knife is known now, but you have to consider what was know at the time. In the dark, a guy who has already fired his gun at them (that is, has shown he has a gun and is willing to kill a police officer) gets out of a car and approaches them." All true.
Peter Baker
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 4:05 p.m.
Fair enough, I didn't see that he had shot at the troopers already, only that they'd found a gun in the car after shooting him.
Brad
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 4 p.m.
Maybe, but it is an *excellent* way to stop him from doing it again.
UpperDecker
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 3:56 p.m.
Sorry Peter but all bets are off after a chase and firing at officers. This guy earned his bullet fair and square.
Billy
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 3:38 p.m.
You should look up the "21 foot rule" sir....
Ricebrnr
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 3:29 p.m.
Peter Baker, please demonstrate said techniques.
WalkingJoe
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 3:24 p.m.
This was a real life situation, not tv or movies where they shoot the weapon out of a perp's hand.
Morty Seinfeld
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 3:23 p.m.
Yes, perhaps the police should have enrolled the suspect in a "Knives are not for stabbing" workshop.
Unusual Suspect
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 3:21 p.m.
The information about him having a knife is known now, but you have to consider what was know at the time. In the dark, a guy who has already fired his gun at them (that is, has shown he has a gun and is willing to kill a police officer) gets out of a car and approaches them. There is no other option but to shoot to kill.
Cory C
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 3:11 p.m.
Nope, there really aren't. Tazers aren't instantaneous and rubber bullets are too rare. As they say: first rule of a gunfight is to bring a gun.
a2roots
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 3:09 p.m.
Probably is but he had already shot at officers. A dead perp is a better conclusion than a dead cop.
smokeblwr
Tue, Feb 12, 2013 : 3:08 p.m.
If he already shot at a cop then they were going to shoot him no matter what.