Ferndale

Detroit man crashes stolen car, tries to flee with baby

By Jeremy Selweski
C & G Staff Writer

A man is facing charges after Ferndale police say that he fled from officers in a stolen car, crashed it in a Detroit neighborhood, then attempted to run away while carrying a baby in his arms.

According to Detective Lt. Bill Wilson, shortly before 6 p.m. on Aug. 21, a Ferndale officer initiated a traffic stop on a Ford Crown Victoria after a check of the vehicle’s license plate revealed that it had been reported stolen. The driver — Vilary Reed, 23, of Detroit — pulled over on Eight Mile Road near Pinecrest Drive.

However, Reed quickly began to accelerate once the officer got out of his car, Wilson said. He reportedly led the officer on a chase through Detroit neighborhoods, speeding and running through stop signs as he attempted to escape. But he soon lost control of his vehicle at the intersection of Pembroke Avenue and Pennington Drive.

“He eventually spun out on the road and hopped over the curb,” Wilson explained. “He drove onto somebody’s lawn and crashed his car in their front yard.”

Reed then reportedly exited the vehicle carrying a 21-month-old baby and continued to flee from police on foot. According to Wilson, when the child began to slow him down, he came up with a plan to hasten his escape.

“He hopped over some fences while carrying the baby when he came across a woman who was in her backyard,” Wilson said. “He handed her the baby, told her that the police were after him and then ran off.”

Reed’s strategy was to no avail, though, as Ferndale officers soon caught him running through residential yards. They also recovered the child from the woman’s custody. He was transported back to the station, where he was found to have no injuries after being examined by paramedics. He was later turned over to his mother.

Wilson indicated that Reed is not the child’s father, but Reed was babysitting the child at the time of the incident. He is believed to be the boyfriend of the child’s mother.

Wilson noted that while Ferndale police have had many suspects flee on foot after bailing out of their vehicle, he could not recall another incident where a suspect attempted to run away while carrying a baby.

“This is a brand new one for us, which brought up various concerns for our officers,” he said. “When (Reed) emerged from the car, they didn’t know if it could possibly be a kidnapping situation or some other crime. For all they knew, this could have been something more severe than what it was.”

On Aug. 22, Reed was arraigned in Ferndale 43rd District Court on charges of second-degree fleeing and eluding police, a 10-year felony; receiving and concealing stolen property, a five-year felony; and driving with a suspended license second or subsequent offense. Magistrate James Brennan set Reed’s bond at $25,000 cash or surety and scheduled a pre-exam conference for Aug. 30 at 1 p.m. He has requested a court-appointed attorney.

In addition, Wilson said, Reed is facing a parole hold from the Michigan Department of Corrections. According to the Michigan Offender Tracking Information System, he is currently on parole for fleeing and eluding police and has prior convictions for receiving and concealing stolen vehicles.
 

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Jeremy Selweski at jSelweski@candgnews.com or at (586)218-5004.