Carjacking suspect crashes into Dearborn cemetery during police chase
DEARBORN, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) – A police chase across several cities in Wayne County ended early Friday morning with a driver crashing into a historic cemetery in Dearborn.
That driver was one of two that several police departments, including Dearborn, pursued overnight connected to an armed carjacking in Garden City.
As the chase came down Cherry Hill Street, the driver of the stolen Chrysler 300 lost control at the curve near North Elizabeth Street.
"My husband and I were watching TV, and all of a sudden, we heard a big 'BAM' and then another smaller bang right after that," Dawn Deblois, a neighbor, said.
The driver went barreling through the steel fence at Mount Kelly Cemetery.
"He hit the fire hydrant, he hit the telephone pole, and hit the tree. Then he went through the fence in his car and rolled in that darn thing. Had glass broken everywhere. I was pretty darn whoever was in the car was dead," Deblois told CBS News Detroit.
The suspect survived and was taken into custody.
"This curve is very sharp. And if you're going at high speeds, you're going to miss the curve," Cindy Lobb, a visitor to Mount Kelly Cemetery, said.
Police arrested the second suspect in Detroit, according to Garden City police.
Elena Lovelace manages the cemetery and says at least eight gravestones were damaged.
"I didn't know what to expect. But when I saw it, I thought, 'Oh my god.' I mean, it looked like a bomb fell," Lovelace said.
While repairs to the damaged fence will cost several thousands of dollars to replace, Lovelace said a monument company will reset and repair the damaged headstones for free.
