By: Eric Czarnik | Sterling Heights Sentry | Published July 16, 2024
STERLING HEIGHTS — The Michigan Department of Attorney General is investigating Sterling Heights police officers’ conduct during a Feb. 25 arrest that followed a domestic violence report and a high-speed chase.
According to the Sterling Heights Police Department, its officers arrested suspect Gary Young, who they said was noncompliant. They said they used “physical force, tasers, and a K9” to arrest him.
Dawn Fraylick, the spokeswoman for the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office, said the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office investigated the arrest and sent the findings to the Prosecuting Attorneys Coordinating Council and the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan.
According to the attorney general’s website, the Michigan PACC is “a state agency that heads the Office of Prosecuting Attorney Coordination – an autonomous entity within the Department of Attorney General.“
“The Macomb County Sheriff’s Department finished their investigation into the Sterling Heights Police officers involved in Gary Young’s arrest and sent it to us,” Fraylick explained in an email. “Our office followed the normal process when there is a conflict of interest and sent the results of the investigation to PACC PAAM who sent it to the AG’s office.”
Fraylick elaborated that the conflict of interest was that the prosecutor’s office works with the sheriff’s office.
In a June 25 email, Press Secretary Danny Wimmer, from the attorney general’s department, said, “At this time, I can confirm to you that the Department is investigating this arrest.”
On March 13, Sterling Heights police gave their account of the situation on Facebook. They said their officers arrested a suspect in the early morning hours of Feb. 25 after they heard about a domestic violence incident reportedly involving two victims at Greentrees Road, which is located near 15 Mile Road and Moravian Drive.
Police video footage shows officers initially approaching the suspect’s vehicle and ordering the suspect to get out, but the video shows the vehicle taking off. Police said they then pursued the car on a high-speed chase for around 13 miles, with speeds reaching as high as 90 mph. Police accused the suspect of trying to run over an officer, traveling through red lights and swerving into traffic.
At one point, the suspect is seen on video getting out of the vehicle via the passenger side and, according to police, he “was not compliant with commands and resisted attempts to be placed under arrest.”
Police said they used “physical force, tasers, and a K9” to arrest the suspect, who they said sustained “minor injuries” before medical care was arranged.
According to police, the suspect’s blood alcohol content was analyzed and found to be over double the legal limit for driving – it’s illegal to drive in Michigan at 0.08% or over for drivers 21 or older. Police also said that pepper spray was found in the vehicle.
The suspect has been identified as Gary Young aka Garry Eugene Young Jr., 37, from Roseville. According to the MiCOURT online database, the suspect was arraigned Feb. 27 in Sterling Heights 41-A District Court and initially was charged with several felonies and misdemeanors.
The database noted that some of those initial charges have since been changed. According to MiCOURT and Macomb County, the current charges are:
• Two misdemeanor charges of domestic violence.
• Two felony charges of assaulting, resisting or obstructing a police officer.
• One felony charge of third-degree fleeing a police officer.
• One felony charge of operating while intoxicated, impaired or with the presence of a controlled substance, third offense.
- One misdemeanor charge of driving while license suspended, second or subsequent offense.
According to court records, bond was posted at $1,500 after being set for $15,000, 10% cash surety. The case has been transferred to Macomb County Circuit Court. Online court records show that the next scheduled court date is a July 24 pretrial conference before Judge Richard Caretti.
The Sterling Heights Police Department said in its Facebook statement that, following the incident, it placed two officers on leave. The department also released several minutes of video footage of the chase and arrest that was interspersed with commentary.
The department said it has been running an internal investigation regarding the use of force, and it said, per protocol, it invited the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office to conduct “an immediate, independent review.”
“We believe in transparency within our ranks and with the public – as that is a key pillar of building trust, which enables us to protect and serve our community,” a SHPD statement on Facebook said. “Our officers wear body cameras and our police vehicles have dash cameras, both of which provide footage of the incident.”
The SHPD also trains its officers about the appropriate use of force, as well as deescalation, the department added.
“Whenever force used during a police response comes into question, we take immediate action to engage outside agencies to review those actions,” the department stated.
In a June 24 email, Sterling Heights Police Capt. Mario Bastianelli said he had “nothing to comment on about the investigation.” He said the SHPD’s internal investigation is ongoing “and will conclude when the AG has concluded their investigation.”
Young’s listed attorney, Wright W. Blake, did not respond for comment by press time.
Learn more about the Michigan Department of Attorney General by visiting michigan.gov/ag. See the Sterling Heights Police Department’s arrest footage on its Facebook page.