Knife-Wielding Suspect Fatally Shot By Police At Detroit Motel
DETROIT (WWJ) - A Farmington Hills bank robbery suspect has died after he was shot during a confrontation with police at a Detroit motel.
It happened late Wednesday morning at the Victory Inn and Suites on Telegraph Road, south of Grand River Ave.
According to Detroit Deputy Police Chief David Lavalley, the suspect — who had recently been released from prison — was wanted for a probation violation and a bank robbery at the Bank of America branch on Middlebelt and 11 Mile Road.
Lavalley said the suspect was located at the motel where he refused to surrender to officers with the South Oakland Narcotics Consortium — a multi-agency task force — who had to break down the door.
"When they entered the hotel room, it appears that the individual was armed with a large knife," Lavalley said. "There was two shots fire by law enforcement officers — one to the chest and one to the shoulder."
Detroit police Sgt. Michael Woody said the two who fired the shots were with the West Bloomfield Police Department and the Michigan Department of Corrections.
The wounded suspect, a 54-year-old man, was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. His name was not immediately released.
Farmington Hills police said the blond, mustachioed man — clad in a button-down shirt and khaki shorts — entered the bank at around 11 a.m. Tuesday, passed a teller a note implying he was armed and demanding cash. He got away with some money but no one was hurt.
Detroit police along with Michigan State Police are handling the ongoing investigation.