BLENDON TWP., MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Oct. 13, 2023) – Two suspects are in custody after a standoff with Ottawa County Sheriff’s Deputies in Blendon Township on Thursday morning.
According to Detective Captain Jake Sparks, the unnamed deputy had approached an occupied, running vehicle parked along the roadway in the area of Baldwin Street and 64th Avenue around 5:20 AM. The two persons inside – a 22-year-old woman behind the wheel and an 18-year-old male passenger – refused to respond to the deputy and then sped off. A brief pursuit ensued, ending at the Blendon Township Fire Station off of Tyler Street, where the suspect’s vehicle struck the Sheriff’s cruiser and drove through the closed station doors, stopping inside.
Deputies involved with the department’s Crisis Intervention Team and Critical Response Team were then deployed, but the suspects remained uncooperative with their efforts to diffuse the situation. About 8:20 PM, the woman restarted her vehicle and “intentionally” backed into a marked sheriff’s cruiser. CRT members responded what Sparks said was “less than lethal force,” and the two suspects were taken into custody.
One deputy and the two suspects were hospitalized, but none suffered what could be considered serious injuries. The station, at least one piece of fire apparatus, and one sheriff’s cruiser were damaged.
The incident remains under investigation.
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