By Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Multiple police agencies participated in a large scale suspect pursuit through Livingston County on Tuesday.

At around 8:30am, Deputies from the Livingston County Sheriff's Office attempted to stop a 2017 Dodge Charger that was reported stolen out of the Macomb County Sheriff's Office. The attempted traffic stop was at S. Walnut Street and Mason Road in Howell City. A press release states the Charger failed to stop for the emergency lights and sirens, fleeing from deputies. The Charger turned on to west Livingston Street and turned back onto southbound Michigan Ave. The Charger continued southbound on D-19 where Pinckney Police and another Livingston County Deputy attempted to deploy stop sticks south of Rush Lake Road. The Charger went around the stop sticks and the pursuit was terminated.

Troopers from the Michigan State Police Brighton Post located the vehicle abandoned at approximately 9:30am on Dexter-Pinckney Road, south of Stinchfield Woods Road in Washtenaw County. A K-9 unit was called in and a perimeter was set up with deputies from Livingston County Sheriff's Office and additional MSP troopers. The two individuals were located on foot on Stinchfield Wood Road near Dexter-Pinckney Road. The Sheriff’s Office says one of the individuals fled on foot into the woods and a 17-year-old from Harper Woods was taken into custody when it was determined he was the driver of the Charger when it fled from deputies. The passenger was picked up by a male from Detroit in the area of Dexter-Pinckney and Tiplady in a white Durango.

Hamburg Police then made at traffic stop on that vehicle on M-36 near Chilson Road but the passenger took off in to the woods again. The area, including portions of the Lakelands Trail, was searched by MSP's K-9 team, a drone from the Livingston County Sheriff's Office and by foot from members from Hamburg Police, Green Oak Police, Livingston County Sheriff's Office and MSP. Students at the nearby Kensington Woods charter school off Pettys Road in Hamburg went into “shelter in place" mode prior to afternoon dismissal. Interim Principal Ken Ferguson told WHMI they were advised by police to put the school in “shelter in place” mode, which lasted approximately two hours. He says police stated they could carefully release students directly to vehicles at pickup at 3pm – noting local police were near the school the entire time.

Meanwhile, the release states the initial investigation determined that the driver's 19-year-old brother was the passenger who had an 8:30am court hearing at the Howell Circuit Court. They were on their way to the court house when the chase began. The 19-year-old passenger has not been located at this time. The Sheriff's Office says it is not believed that the general public is in danger as there is no reason to believe the subject is armed.