Teens arrested for multiple package thefts in Grosse Pointe Park

GROSSE POINTE PARK — It may not happen often, but sometimes porch pirates do get caught in the act.

That was the case when police responded to a report of a package being stolen from a front porch in the 1000 block of Somerset Avenue at around 3:03 p.m. Dec. 11. A witness was able to provide police with a description of the getaway vehicle, which police spotted in the area and attempted to pull over, only for the suspects to flee.

A police report states that stop sticks were used to safely end the vehicle chase, which then turned into a foot pursuit as the two suspects — a 15-year-old male and a 17-year-old female, both of Detroit — tried to evade capture.

During a Dec. 11 Grosse Pointe Park City Council meeting, Public Safety Director James Bostock said the chase ended around St. Jean Street on Detroit’s east side. Inside the vehicle the suspects had been driving, he said, police recovered about 20 to 25 packages that had been stolen from multiple homes in the Park.

“Excellent work,” Park City Councilman Timothy Kolar said.

Because this is a property crime and the suspects are juveniles, Bostock said their jail time “is going to be nil until their court date.” The suspects were taken to the Wayne County Juvenile Detention Facility after their arrest but weren’t expected to stay in custody for long.

“Some of them see it as a game, see it as a joke,” Bostock said of suspects arrested for crimes like these; he said vehicle theft suspects are also often young. He said he’s heard suspects say as they’re leaving the Park lockup that they’ll be back.

“We’re doing everything that we can on our (end) to make sure that it stops,” Bostock said.

The suspects were facing a number of possible charges, including fleeing and eluding, larceny, and receiving and concealing stolen property.

Police urge residents to call them immediately if they see any suspicious activity in their neighborhood.