At 11:55 a.m. on January 17, 2020, an officer attempted to stop a vehicle in the area of Clarence St / E Vine St for a seatbelt violation. The vehicle fled, and the officer chose not to pursue. A supervisor spotted the vehicle a few blocks away and attempted to stop it, but again the vehicle fled at high speeds. Officers again elected not to pursue. Several minutes later, KDPS received reports that the vehicle – which was discovered to have been stolen the night before – had been abandoned in the 3500-block of Lincolnshire Blvd, and the occupants had fled on foot. PSO Cole and K9 Echo responded to track the suspects. While K9 echo was hot on their trail, several KDPS detectives who joined in the search spotted the suspects near the intersection of Portage St / Dorchester Ave. The detectives chased the suspects on foot, and were soon joined by patrol officers who had flooded the area. Two suspects, both juveniles, were taken into custody and lodged at the Juvenile Home on various charges stemming from this incident.
The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety and its law enforcement partners remind you not to leave your vehicles running unattended; the majority of vehicles stolen in the Kalamazoo area are taken while the keys are in the vehicle.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Kalamazoo Public Safety at (269) 337-8120 or Silent Observer at (269)343-2100 or www.kalamazoosilentobserver.com.
By authority of: Sgt. Chuck Mason
