Man dead after Ypsilanti police chase ends with crash, shots fired
YPSILANTI, Mich. (FOX 2) - A driver is dead after a police chase in Ypsilanti ended with the man crashing and shooting involving Washtenaw County Sheriff's deputies.
According to Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office Cmdr. Eugene Rush, a deputy spotted a van without a license plate traveling with no lights on before 2 a.m. When the deputy tried to stop the van, the driver fled.
Man dead after Ypsilanti police chase ends with crash and shooting
What started as an attempted traffic stop in Ypsilanti ended with a man dead after he fled authorities, crashed, and pulled a gun on Washtenaw County Sheriff's deputies.
The backstory:
Rush said the driver led deputies on a chase that included him going the wrong way on Grove before eventually crashing in a deputy's vehicle on Prospect near Michigan just after 2:05 a.m. After the crash, the driver pulled out a shotgun and started shooting, Rush said.
Shots were fired before the man was pronounced dead at the scene. Though the driver was killed, Rush said he could not confirm if it was a bullet from a deputy's gun that killed him.
What's next:
Michigan State Police will handle the investigation.
As of 8:10 a.m., Prospect remains closed south of Michigan Avenue, and drivers are asked to avoid the area while the investigation is conducted.
Police scene surrounds overturned van in Ypsilanti
Police in Ypsilanti have been surrounding a crashed vehicle for hours. It is unclear what led to the crash, but a witness said they saw police chasing the vehicle before hearing what they believed to be gunfire.
Stay with FOX 2 for more on this breaking story.
The Source: Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office Cmdr. Eugene Rush was interviewed for this story.