Saline Police Catch Suspect After High Speed Chase Through Town

Saline Police arrested a man Wednesday afternoon after a high speed pursuit that led police from one end of town to the other, and back again, before the police arrested him in the location where the pursuit originally began.

The pursuit started in front of Village Party Store and took police along Michigan Avenue into Pittsfield Township, where the car turned in a field, smacked head-on into a police vehicle that attempted to block it from re-entering the road, and then doubled back west on Michigan Avenue. Police followed the driver back to the original location, where the vehicle was blocked and the driver was arrested by a Saline Police officer who approached the vehicle with his gun drawn.

According to a press release issued by the Saline Police department, a woman called police seeking police assistance due to trouble with her husband. She told police she had to leave her apartment and call police from a local business, according to the release. Police met the woman at the business. According to the release, the husband arrived in their vehicle and began yelling. Police say he apparently observed the officers and fled east on Michigan Avenue.

One Saline Police officer on the scene stayed with the caller while two other officers followed the man. The pursuit continued east about a half-mile east of Industrial Road when the driver of the vehicle pulled on to the right shoulder and then made a left turn as if he was going to go north into a parking lot, according to police. As he turned, police turned left into the parking lot. The driver continued turning, making a full U-turn and striking the police cruiser head-on. The officer exited his vehicle and the suspect drove around him and headed west on Michigan Avenue. Officers pursued the driver, who returned to the location where the chase started. The suspect circled around back and into the parking lot, where he was blocked and arrested by the officer still at the scene and the pursuing officer.

The suspect was taken into custody and held pending charges by the Washtenaw county Prosecutor's Office.