Southfield police chase ends with suspects colliding head-on with patrol unit

Police pursue vehicle tire theft suspects

Southfield police arrested two men after a pursuit in July following reports of a larceny in progress. The suspects had recently stolen the tires off a Ford F-150 when they were caught.

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (FOX 2) - Two Southfield police officers suffered minor injuries after a fleeing suspect collided with a marked cruiser after law enforcement initiated a chase earlier in July.

Two Detroit men were arrested after they allegedly stole tires from a Ford F-150 parked at an apartment complex before attempting to escape police. 

Big picture view:

A 911 call came in during the early hours of July 1 about two men removing tires off of a pickup truck at the Willow Pond condominiums.

Officers responded, eventually identifying the suspect vehicle as a black-colored Chrysler Pacifica which sped away on Franklin Road. The chase went down Telegraph and eventually reached Nine Mile before turning eastbound. 

It ended when the suspect collided head-on with a Southfield Police cruiser. The driver left the minivan and tried fleeing on foot, even jumping in a pond in an attempt to swim from police. 

The second suspect was found hiding in the rear of the vehicle. 

Both were arrested without incident.

Dig deeper:

While recent car part thefts have been tied to younger offenders, chief Elvin Barren said these suspects were different. 

Identified as Trachawn Mccaa, 31, and Prince Madison, 51, both of Detroit, were apprehended and arraigned on larceny from a motor vehicle counts. Mccaa also faces a fleeing and eluding charge as he was the driver during the pursuit.

"The question I hoped you all asked - what is a 51-year-old man and a 31-year-old man doing at 3 o'clock in the morning stealing tires from cars?" Barren queried at a Thursday press conference. "And you wonder why this agency responds the way we respond to hold these people accountable."

What's next:

Both suspects will be back in court as their cases proceed through the judicial system.

The officers who were injured in the crash suffered minor injuries and are expected to be back patrolling the streets soon.