Police: Cemetery vandal also kicked out cop car window

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A 22-year-old has been charged with three felonies for vandalizing a Macomb Township cemetery.Dozens of headstones, some dating back to the Civil War were demolished.

Now we are learning grave markers aren't the only thing he's accused of breaking.

"This individual had some strength," said Sheriff Anthony Wickersham. "Our deputies did have to witness that when they took him into custody."

A dash cam video taken from the back seat of a Macomb County patrol car shows the power of 22-year old Tyler Bryant. A couple of kicks was all it took for him to do some major damage to the police car.

"He was able to roll over in the backseat and with force, kick out the window," Wickersham said.

That happened after deputies used a Taser to subdue Bryant just to get him into the squad car. They nabbed him earlier this week for knocking down more than two dozen headstones at the Immanuel Lutheran Church Cemetery on 21 Road in Macomb.

"Resetting all of these is quite a project," said Dan Crump of Dan's Lawn Maintenance. "Picking them up with an excavator, cementing them and caulking them in."

Crews spent all of Friday righting what police say Bryant did wrong. Some of the marble markers weighed at least 900 pounds.

"Without the excavator we wouldn't be able to lift these," Crump said. "A couple small ones yes, but most of them need these pinchers."

Investigators believe Bryant was likely on drugs at the time. The in-car camera captured every single move. He certainly put up a fight, but has since calmed down.

"I think he's still in jail but hasn't had any problems back there," Wickersham said.

As part of the restitution portion of Bryant's case he could be held responsible for the clean up of the cemetery and the damage to the patrol car. FOX 2 is told that could be thousands of dollars.

His next court date is Sept. 10.