Roseville

Drug deal gone wrong leads to high-speed chase

By Sara Kandel
C & G Staff Writer

ROSEVILLE — Two Wayne County men allegedly involved in a drug deal were arrested in Roseville after getting into an altercation and high-speed chase Dec. 11.

Police said they responded to a disturbance call in the 27000 block of Gratiot just after 6 p.m. Upon arrival, investigating officers determined that the men involved in the incident had met in the area of Martin and O’Neil to conduct a drug purchase just prior to this incident.

“Everyone was yelling and screaming, but eventually officers were able to sort out what happened,” said Deputy Chief Don Glandon of the Roseville Police Department.

“They had met for one to purchase drugs from the other,” Glandon said. “When the suspected buyer displayed his cash, the suspected seller punched him and took off.”

After taking $200 from the suspected buyer, the suspected seller fled the area in his vehicle. The suspected seller followed.

Speeding through the surrounding neighborhoods being chased by the suspected buyer, the suspected seller struck three other vehicles: the first at Martin and Gratiot, the second at Pinehurst and 12 Mile Road and the last at Gratiot and 11 Mile Road.

The two men were at the scene of the third collision arguing over the incident when police arrived.

“As a result of the investigation, both the suspected seller and the suspected dealer were arrested,” Glandon said.

The suspected seller, a Detroit resident, remains in police custody and awaits arraignment in 39th District Court in Roseville at press time. Glandon said the department could not release his name or the charges he faces until after the arraignment, but he offered that the suspect faced one felony charge and multiple misdemeanor charges.

Drugs were discovered in the possession of the seller at the time of his arrest, but the quantity wasn’t large enough to charge him with trafficking or delivery, and the felony charge is not related to the drugs.

The suspected buyer, a River Rouge resident, was ticketed with reckless driving and posted bond shortly after his arrest. Glandon did not know the court date for the ticket but said the department would release more information after he appears in court. Glandon was unhappy that they were only able to charge him with a misdemeanor.

“With the constraints of the law, we felt this was the best we could do at this time, but the circumstances of the case will be made clear to the judge at his court date, so the judge can decide the most appropriate sentence,” Glandon said.

“They were both there to commit an illegal act, and if we could have charged the (suspected buyer) with something more, I would have been more than happy to do it. Both subjects demonstrated a blatant disregard for the safety of the public. They both put people in danger, and I would have loved to be able to charge them both with something more.”

No one was injured as a result of the incident, but detectives from the Roseville Police Department continue to investigate the circumstances that led to this incident.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Sara Kandel at skandel@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1030.