Fatal crash, OU lockdown linked to series of incidents
A series of events that started with a shootout at a car lot in Genesee County ended after a high-speed police chase on I-75, two traffic crashes, one of them fatal, and a lockdown at Oakland University Monday morning.
Other than the man who died in the crash, no one else was hurt during the series of incidents, according to multiple police agencies.
Flint Police Chief Terence Green said three suspects exchanged gunfire with a security guard at a car lot at about 3 a.m. Monday and stole three vehicles.
A Grand Blanc police officer spotted two of the vehicles on southbound I-475 and gave chase, Green said. One car, a 2022 Mustang, crashed at the southbound I-75 exit to southbound Joslyn Road. The car caught fire. The Mustang’s driver and lone occupant died at the scene, Green said.
The dead man’s identity is being verified by the Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office, he said.
Police both responded to that crash scene as others continued chasing the second vehicle, a Dodge Durango, which crashed at Walton and Adams just before 4 a.m., according to Oakland University Campus Police Chief Mark Gordon.
His officers were alerted that the two suspects in the Durango, presumed to be armed after the initial shootout, had fled on foot onto the Rochester Hills side of the university’s main campus.
Oakland University officials issued a shelter-inplace alert and delayed Monday’s start to noon, using the campus alert system, the university’s website and social media to alert students, staff and faculty.
Gordon said during a thorough search of campus, officers also reviewed surveillance footage and found that the two suspects had attempted getting into a couple campus buildings, which were locked.
The suspects did get inside Varner Hall, he said. Shortly after that, the video shows a silver- or gray-colored SUV stop near the hall entrance to pick up the two suspects. The video does not show which direction the SUV went as it left campus, he said.
Getting fingerprints or footprints from the area of the building where the suspects were is almost impossible because construction is underway, he said, and “it’s a very, very dirty area, not an ideal area to pull fingerprints or footprints.”
Gordon said there’s no indication of any connection between the suspects and anyone on OU’s campus.
Gordon said all the police agencies involved responded in a coordinated and quick manner, with OU officials sending several alerts and updates to students, faculty and staff through the morning, using direct alerts as well as social media updates and messages on the school’s website.
Oakland County Sheriff’s Office sent about 20 deputies to help with the search, including two K9 units, a drone unit, and a helicopter.
“It came together very well,” Gordon said, adding that the campus would not have reopened if police were not absolutely certain the threat had ended.
Green said the suspects will likely face charges in Flint, related to the shootout; in Grand Blanc Township, related to the chase, which would be a fleeing-and-eluding allegation; and in Oakland County, where they could face multiple charges.
As of 3 p.m. Monday, the two suspects had not been taken into custody.
The Southeast Oakland County Crash Investigation Team, which includes officers from Auburn Hills, Bloomfield Township, Troy, Bloomfield Hills, Birmingham and Clawson, is investigating the crash.
Anyone who may have witnessed the crash is asked to contact the Auburn Hills Police Department at (248) 370-9460.