Lathrup Village

One man charged, another at large after break-in

By Jessica Strachan
C & G Staff Writer

LATHRUP VILLAGE — A Detroit man has been charged in connection with an attempted robbery at Allied Cash Advance.

Gregory Jamar McNeil-Hayes, 25, from Detroit, was arraigned in Southfield’s 46th District Court after being arrested sometime after 3 a.m. Jan. 2, when a Lathrup Village patrol officer saw him flee the scene of the broken-into payday advance business on Southfield Road, police said.

The man reportedly had an accomplice in the attempted theft, and both attempted to flee on foot; neither was able to escape with any stolen money, police said.

“(The suspect) broke the glass with a sledgehammer and got in, but he was unable to open the safe,” Sgt. Scott McKee of the Lathrup Village Police Department said, noting that the alarm had been activated, though it was an on-duty officer who was able to track the suspect down. “Our officer was patrolling when he observed the subject run from the building across Southfield Road to a parked vehicle.”

The officer saw the shattered glass, McKee noted, and pursued the men. He added that they have a warrant for the second suspect who got away and they are “actively out looking for him.”

McNeil-Hayes was arraigned with a $50,000 cash bond. He will appear back in 46th District Court for his pre-exam Jan. 9.

The store has been reopened, though McKee said the estimated damage to the building is not known.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Jessica Strachan at jstrachan@candgnews.com or at (586)279-1108.