DETROIT (FOX 2) - An attempted robbery Thursday night on Detroit's west side led to a shootout and ended with two suspects in custody.
Police said it started around 9:55 p.m. when masked suspects pulled up alongside two victims who had just left a nightclub.
The backstory:
According to Detroit Police Cmdr. Vernal Newson, the victims, who are 19 and 23, were leaving the area of the Southfield Service Drive and Joy Road in a late model Dodge Charger Scat Pack when another car pulled up by them.
"They were masked up, they announced a holdup," Newson said of the people in the other car, who he believes were trying to steal the Charger.
This led to one of the people in the Charger, a concealed pistol license holder, pulling out a gun, and someone in the other car started shooting. They exchanged gunfire before a bystander got involved and also started shooting, police said.
After the shootout, the suspect vehicle fled south on the Southfield Service Drive, while the victims, who both suffered graze wounds to their backs, drove away but crashed into another vehicle.
An alert was put out for police to be on the lookout for the suspect car, and officers spotted it shortly after. Newson said police were able to stop that vehicle and arrest its two occupants. Two guns and the ski masks were recovered from the vehicle.
"Overall, it was a win-win situation where we were able to get the offenders into custody soon after the incident, and (the) offenders actually robbed the wrong people," Newson said.
What's next:
The two suspects are in custody, while the two victims were taken to a hospital.
As of Thursday night, the victims were listed as stable and were expected to be released soon.
The Source: DPD Cmdr. Vernal Newson provided details about this crime.
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