Suspect arrested after 80-year-old woman carjacked at Walmart

STERLING HEIGHTS — A carjacking suspect was arrested Nov. 12 after police reportedly spotted him in a hotel parking lot, and an investigation is underway due to the firing of a police gun, Sterling Heights police said.

Police caught word of a reported carjacking at around 3 p.m. Nov. 12 in the parking lot of the Walmart at 44575 Mound Road, near M-59, in Sterling Heights. According to police, a male suspect assaulted an 80-year-old woman, ejected her from her red Jeep Grand Cherokee, and then drove off with the Jeep. Police said the woman sustained minor injuries.

Police said they initially couldn’t find the Jeep. But at around 7 p.m., they went to the area of Van Dyke Avenue and 15 Mile Road and reportedly spotted a red Jeep in the lot of Super 8 by Wyndham, 34550 Van Dyke Ave.

According to Sterling Heights police Lt. Mario Bastianelli, police saw the suspect there, and then the suspect allegedly tried to get away.

“When doing so, the suspect’s actions placed the (officers’) lives in jeopardy,” Bastianelli said in a police statement. “One officer discharged his duty weapon at the suspect but missed.”

Police said the suspect drove away in the Jeep northbound along Van Dyke and then crashed into another vehicle while on 15 Mile, close to Van Dyke, and police arrested the suspect. The SHPD added that he was already on probation after the department had arrested him in September for unlawful driving away of an automobile.

Because a Sterling Heights officer reportedly fired a weapon, the Michigan State Police are investigating the incident and will be the source for further comment, Sterling Heights police said. An MSP spokesperson did not reply for comment by press time.