Man Drives Wrong Way on I-96 While Fleeing From Novi Police

A man fled from Novi police after being stopped at 2:32 a.m. April 8 on westbound I-96 near Novi Road, according to a police report. 

The officer ran the license plate of a 2003 black Chevrolet Impala traveling westbound on I-96 and found the registered owner of the vehicle had a suspended license with several warrants, the report said.

The officer stopped the vehicle without incident just west of Novi Road, according to the report. The driver did not have his license and appeared to be nervous, the report said. The man said he was driving to Wixom and the vehicle belonged to his brother, according to the report.

The man got out of his car and began walking toward the patrol vehicle where the officer was trying to identify him, the report said. The man asked if he was going to jail, and the officer told him to get back into his vehicle, according to the report.

The driver returned to his vehicle and immediately made a u-turn, with the vehicle’s tires squealing, and proceeded eastbound in the westbound lanes of I-96, east of Novi Road, the report said.

The officer did not pursue but informed dispatch and asked that all officers be on the lookout for the man and vehicle, according to the report. Another officer saw the vehicle going the wrong way up the ramp from southbound M-5 to westbound I-96, the report said, and then lost sight of the vehicle.

The man showed two current license suspensions and one prior suspension in the officer's search, according to the report. The suspect also showed five warrants, including a felony warrant, the report said.

The suspect and vehicle were not located after the man’s flee and the case was forwarded to the detective bureau for further investigation, the report said.

For questions about this crime report, email aysha.jamali@patch.com.