Roseville

Savvy citizens thwart alleged carjacker

By Sara Kandel
C & G Staff Writer

An Eastpointe teen faces felony charges in Roseville after he allegedly failed to carjack a woman Jan. 30.

Dorian Romello Escoe, 17, was arraigned on three felony charges — carjacking, breaking and entering a vehicle and resisting arrest — in 39th District Court in Roseville Jan. 31. Police said quick-thinking residents, in two separate incidents, helped bring about Escoe’s arrest.

At 4:40 p.m. Jan. 30, a resident approached an unknown man tampering with a neighbor’s car, parked in a bank lot at the northeast corner of Frazho and Gratiot.

“A friend of the owner of the vehicle went out and spoke to the subject,” said Deputy Chief Don Glandon of the Roseville Police Department. “The subject stated the van was his.”

Knowing the vehicle did not belong to the subject, the resident notified the subject of his intentions and then called the police.

“When (the subject) was told that the police were being called, he took off and ran on foot eastbound from the lot,” Glandon said.

Noting damage to the steering column and the appearance that the van had been rifled through, responding officers began a search of the area. Not long after, while searching the area of Oakdale and Lawn streets, the officers were approached by a second victim. She told them that she had just escaped an attempted carjacking.

She was on her front porch in the 25000 block of Pinehurst when she noticed an unknown male walking toward her car, parked in the street in front of her house. Using a remote door lock, the victim ensured her car door was locked, and then watched as the suspect walked eerily close to her car before continuing on down the street.

With the subject a few houses away, she told police she thought any possible threat had passed. She wasn’t looking in his direction when he did a quick turn and began hurriedly heading back in her direction.

“The subject returned and walked onto the porch and displayed a knife and demanded keys to the car,” Glandon said.

But she refused, eventually convincing the subject that she would give him a lift to wherever he needed to go. The suspect agreed and let her get into the driver’s seat of the car. Before the suspect had a chance to catch on, the victim locked the vehicle and sped off, leaving the suspect behind.

“The victim found an officer about a block away who was looking for the suspect,” Glandon said. “(The first resident) called the police, even though the suspect had fled, which led the police to immediately be in the area, and after the second victim approached the officer, the subject was able to be apprehended within five minutes, after a short foot chase.”

Glandon said the resident, and the victim, acted quickly, helping the police to easily apprehend their suspect.

“She did good on her part and it worked out,” Glandon said. “She felt that her actions were the best decision in the situation, because she knew if she only clicked unlock one time, it would only unlock the driver’s side door, and with the subject on the other side of the door, she would have time to start the car and drive away.”

If convicted of the felony charges against him, Escoe could face up to life in prison, the maximum sentence for felony carjacking. Breaking and entering a vehicle is a five-year felony and resisting arrest is a two-year felony.

Escoe is being held at Macomb County Jail pending a $150,000 bond, cash or surety, no 10 percent. He is scheduled for a preliminary exam at 8:30 a.m. Feb. 13 in 39th District Court in Roseville.

A message seeking comment was left for Escoe’s attorney, Paul Clark.

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