GRAND HAVEN, MI (WHTC) – A break-in and assault at the US Coast Guard stations in Grand Haven before dawn on Sunday was being treated as an act of domestic terrorism.
Police say a man, described at this point as 34 years old from Michigan, crashed his pickup truck through the gates of the station at 601 S. Harbor Drive just after 6 a.m. before breaking into the building and assaulting Coast Guard personel. Grand Haven Director of Public Safety Jeff Hawke said the suspect claimed to have explosives in his truck. There were no reported injuries suffered in the assault, and operations at the station were back to normal before nightfall, according to the Coast Guard regional office in Cleveland.
The suspect has been arrested and is in the Ottawa County Jail pending arraignment. The Michigan State Police bomb squad was called to the scene to investigate the possibilty of an explosive, but none was found. Nearby roads and residences were given the all-clear around 12 Noon. FBI officlals at the regional office in Detroit issued a statement on Sunday afternoon that “the investigation has not revealed a link to terrorism.”
In addition, an investigation is underway into a “suspicious fire” at a house in Oceana County’s Golden Township which was the last known residence of the suspect. The blaze at a North 34th Avenue home was reported about two hours before the incident in Grand Haven, and investigators are initially calling the dwelling “a total loss.”
Both incidents remain under investigation
-Gary Stevens contributed to this report
