Two Dearborn police officers shot, suspect arrested after gunfire exchange, pursuit

Dearborn police chief details shootout between suspect and officers

New details from Chief Issa Shahin about the early morning shooting that left two officers and the suspect wounded.

FOX 2 - A shootout between an armed suspect and police left two Dearborn officers wounded and the man arrested, early Friday morning.

The backstory:

The officers were treated and released from Corewell Health in Taylor this morning. The suspect, a 32-year-old Detroit man, was wounded and is hospitalized in critical condition.

"This could easily have been a fatal encounter for my officers," Police Chief Issa Shahin said. "My officers are very lucky. It's a small miracle that they're going to be okay."

During a press conference, Shahin showed a photo of the bulletproof vest that one of the plainclothes officers wore, with a blood splatter on the ground behind it.

"There's two gunshot wounds that the vest was able to, I'm not certain it stopped it from penetrating entirely, but enough to slow it down that our officer's life was saved," he said. "That officer also took a gunshot wound to the arm."

Police respond to 2:15 a.m. call

Timeline:

Dearborn police responded to the Pantheon Nightclub at Oakman Blvd and Michigan Avenue on a report of an armed suspect arguing with people.

The man allegedly was brandishing the weapon during an argument, and when police arrived, he refused to cooperate with their directions and fled in a flatbed tow truck.

Officers pursued at low speeds, but handed off the pursuit to plainclothes special operations officers. The suspect was followed to the Citgo gas station at Van Born and Inkster, and tried to arrest him.

At this point, the suspect opened fire on the plainclothes officers and two were struck. Several officers returned fire, but the gunman returned to the tow truck and fled.

While some rendered aid, other officers picked up the pursuit. Shahin said at some point two guns were tossed outside the window of the vehicle by the suspect as he was driving.

He eventually surrendered and pulled over the truck in the 2700 block of Stanford in Inkster, where it was discovered he was wounded. He was then taken into custody and rushed to a nearby hospital.

Two Dearborn police officers shot in Dearborn Heights, suspect arrested

Police are at the scene of a Citgo gas station at Inkster and Van Born Friday morning where two officers and a suspect were shot.

Dig deeper:

Dearborn Heights video records gunshots between police, suspect

Video shared by a Dearborn Heights business owner recorded the hail of gunshots between police and a suspect early Friday morning.

Video above was recorded at a nearby business and the large number of gunshots can be heard.

A massive police presence surrounded the Citgo gas station with at least 30 evidence markers littered across the ground.

Shanin said the suspect has a criminal background and has been incarcerated before.

"I'll also add that this individual does have a criminal history, a violent one," he said. "And was released out on parole in 2021."

Shahin said it was unclear how many times the suspect was shot, but that he is listed in critical condition.

What they're saying:

Chief Shahin said the plainclothes officers could be identified as police in this situation – and that there was no misunderstanding who they were.

"They all have neck badges. They all are emblazoned with police on some level, and they also have lights in their vehicles that they can activate," he said. "So it's very clear that they're law enforcement with red and blue lights. So they're plainclothes, but when they're going to take someone into custody, they make it very clear who they are. "

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud credited the work and dedication of his police force.

"I want to begin by just expressing my gratitude to the officers who were out last night, and just to be relieved that they're going to be able to return home," he said. "What I can tell you, this police department, our officers show up day in and day out without making any excuses."

Hammoud and the chief brought up the recent anti-Muslim "Crusader March" held by radical alt-right demonstrator Jake Lang earlier this week. Twenty-two people were arrested between protestors and counter-protestors (although details were not released) and there were no serious injuries.

"Dearborn has been the target of so much over the last several weeks and the last several months," the mayor said. "And (it) will continue to be the target for months and years ahead."