Rash of carjackings hit west side of Detroit with 4 incidents in 1 night

Detroit Police Chief James Craig is urging people to come forward after a rash of carjackings overnight on the city's west side.

"Step up - step up or step out," Craig said. "Carjacking -just that crime - really drives fear in our community."

And it would appear there's reason to be afraid, multiple incidents were reported happening Monday morning connected to four armed men.

First, at  2:20 a.m. a 21-year-old was carjacked at a home on Wyoming at Fullerton. four men - all armed - steal a 2014 silver Chrysler 200 and move on to their next victim.

Shortly before 4 a.m. they struck again with the victim driving on I-96 to work.

The silver Chrysler 200  got in front of the victim, began brake-checking him, according to police.

"He went to go around him and when he went around him is when they forced him off the road, said Lt. Michael Shaw of Michigan State Police. "Four black males exited the vehicle all armed, assaulted him and then took his vehicle."

That stolen vehicle - a Chevrolet Cobalt, was used just an hour later on I-96 near Davison, along with the stolen Chrysler and a black Dodge Charger tried to force a driver off the road. 

The Chrysler sideswiped him and a passenger got out of that car and started shooting. The would-be victim threw his car in reverse and escaped.

"That individual was actually shot at, but this individual, he did not pull alongside him," Shaw said. "He actually backed off away from his to avoid him."

Detroit police say there was yet another carjacking during all of that at West Grand Boulevard and Hancock,  where four gunman used two cars to cut off the 23-year-old driver of a Hyundai Sonata and crashed into her from behind. Up to four gunman jumped out and stole her car.

"The first thing that we're going to tell you is to back off," Shaw said. "Don't engage these folks and the next thing you do, you have got to call 911 right away."

Shaw is urging drivers to be careful and for those who know something to come forward.

"Somebody out there knows all four of these guys," he said. "They know they've planned it, they know they've talked about it and now they've got to come forward and tell us about it, so can get them off the street before they kill somebody."