Teen charged following car chase on Woodward Avenue

ROYAL OAK — A 17-year-old Chesterfield Township resident is facing a felony charge of fleeing and eluding police following a car chase that took place at around 7:35 p.m. April 20.

After a Royal Oak police officer observed a person driving recklessly on Woodward Avenue in the area of 13 Mile Road, the officer attempted to stop the vehicle.

The chase began when the officer activated his lights; instead of stopping, the driver left the scene at high speeds in his white Chrysler 300.

According to a press release, the driver “changed directions several times along Woodward Avenue” and then crossed 14 Mile Road into Birmingham.

In an attempt to stop the chase, a Birmingham police officer deployed a tire deflation device, which caused both of the Chrysler’s passenger-side tires to deflate.

“The key moment in the case was that a Birmingham officer was able to successfully deploy the tire deflation device,” Royal Oak Police Lt. Richard Millard said. “Which slowed him down and ultimately we were able to take him into custody to get charged.”

Although the two tires were flattened, the individual reportedly continued to try to flee police through a residential neighborhood in Birmingham.

The ordeal concluded when the individual went back onto southbound Woodward Avenue, where he was stopped and taken into custody near Normandy Road and Woodward, according to the press release.

Millard said that the Royal Oak Police Department is prepared for these situations and is constantly on the lookout for any threats of dangerous driving situations.

“We have officers out there looking for dangerous driving, reckless driving, careless driving and speeding,” Millard said. “We have zero tolerance for that kind of dangerous driving.”

Officials said that the driver had a 19-year-old female passenger in the car at the time of the chase, but she has since been released following an investigation. She was reported as uninjured in the press release.

The juvenile driver was being held at Oakland County Children’s Village, where he is charged with third-degree fleeing and eluding police, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison or a $1,000 fine. If guilty, the individual’s license will also be suspended for one year. He will be tried as a juvenile.