BATTLE CREEK, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – A multi-town police pursuit ended in a fatal shooting Wednesday, according to the Battle Creek Police Department.
At a press conference, Battle Creek Police officials explained the incident, which ended with the death of one suspect.
Police have identified the man killed as 44-year-old Brian Laxton of Battle Creek. The incident began around 3:00 p.m. Wednesday in the City of Albion, where police attempted to stop a vehicle without proper registration plates.
The driver fled the scene, leading to a pursuit along westbound I-94. Officers attempted to use stop sticks to disable the vehicle, but the driver was able to avoid them.
At that time, police say the driver pointed a handgun out the window at officers.
The driver continued on towards Battle Creek. By this point, officers with the City of Albion and Calhoun County Sheriff’s Deputies were involved. The pursuit is said to have reached speeds as high as 120 miles per hour.
Once the driver exited I-94 onto Beadle Lake Road, officers with the Emmett Township Department of Public Safety joined the pursuit, which continued into Emmett Township and Battle Creek.
At that point, BCPD began blocking off roads, but were not active in the actual pursuit, according to Battle Creek Police Chief Jim Blocker.
In the area of Arthur Street and Goguac Avenue, Blocker said the suspect began firing at pursuing officers.
A County Deputy ended up ramming the vehicle, which led to the pursuit ending near Willow Street and Oak Hill Drive. The driver fled on foot while still holding the gun.
Blocker said the suspect attempted to break into a nearby occupied home, adding that there was no relation between the suspect and occupant.
An officer with the BCPD then confronted the suspect outside, ordering him to drop the gun. He turned towards the officer without dropping it, leading to shots fired.
The suspect was struck and ultimately succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
Blocker played a video from body camera footage during the incident which showed the shooting.
“We’re fully committed as law enforcement agencies to transparency,” Blocker said. “We wanted to get out what we had because of the nature of the incident as soon as we practically could.”
Following this incident, the case has been submitted to the Michigan State Police for further investigation.
“This was an incredibly dangerous scenario, this was a man who needed to be stopped quickly,” Blocker said.
The officer was identified as Sgt. Chris Klein, a 17-year veteran with the department, according to Blocker.
More details will be released as they are developed.
The press conference can be viewed at this link.
