Two face felony charges after Hazel Park pawn shop burglary

HAZEL PARK — A local pawn shop was broken into and its guns stolen by a group of men. Police believe they have captured two of the suspects, but the other two suspects are still at large, and there may be connections between them and other burglaries in the area.

The suspects are Emmanuel Ashford, 21, and Randy Greene, 18, both of Detroit. They were arraigned on Saturday, Aug. 5 in the 43rd District Court in Hazel Park. 

Ashford and Greene are both charged with breaking and entering a building, a 10-year felony; receiving and concealing weapons and firearms, a 10-year felony; and larceny of weapons and firearms, a five-year felony.

Ashford is also charged with possession of burglary tools, a 10-year felony; receiving and concealing stolen property (motor vehicle), a five-year felony; and assaulting and resisting police, a two-year felony. 

Ashford is being held on a $50,000 cash bond, while Greene is being held on a $15,000 bond.  

At press time, neither suspect had an attorney, according to court records.

Police said the incident occurred around 6:45 a.m. Aug. 2 at Universal Gold and Gun Exchange, located at 24834 John R Road in Hazel Park.

A witness called police to report the crime in progress, describing four men involved. 

Hazel Park Police Chief Brian Buchholz declined to describe the two suspects still at large, saying it could compromise the investigation. But he recounted how the crime appears to have gone down, and how police confronted them.

One suspect reportedly broke the glass window on the front door of the building in order to reach through the security gate behind it and cut off the lock. A rifle and four handguns were reportedly stolen. 

Police arrived in time to confront the suspects as they exited the pawn shop. The men quickly entered a green Dodge Charger — later determined to have been stolen — and pursued them until they reached Detroit, at which point the chase was called off.

“They were driving at very high rates of speed, going through traffic lights without stopping,” Buchholz said. “At a certain point, we decided to terminate the pursuit, out of concern for the safety of the general public. Luckily, that early in the morning, there weren’t many people out.”

Police began approaching the case from a different angle, following investigative leads that led them to a home on Detroit’s east side, where the stolen Dodge Charger was found. A search warrant was obtained, and Ashford and Greene were arrested. 

“We’re still investigating to try to determine the other suspects involved in this case,” Buchholz said. “It could be tied to other crimes in the area.”

Several of the stolen guns were recovered, along with the stolen vehicle. Another gun that was unrelated to the pawn shop incident was also recovered at the house in Detroit.

Police also found items that had been reported stolen from two marijuana facilities in the area where break-ins had recently occurred. Buchholz declined to identify those businesses, or when the incidents occurred, noting that multiple police departments are involved. He did confirm that cash had been taken from one establishment, while cannabis was stolen from the other.

As such, authorities believe that the four men in the pawn shop incident might also be involved in other burglaries in the area. Neither Ashford nor Greene would confess to the alleged crimes. 

Prior to the pawn shop incident, Ashford was already wanted on five arrest warrants — among them a weapons offense, two larcenies and two traffic misdemeanors.

“The investigation is definitely not over. It’s ongoing, and it could be connected to other cities,” Buchholz said. “Our detectives and officers did an excellent job of putting this case together. We are thankful to make a couple arrests and to have recovered the weapons. Obviously, any guns in the wrong hands are very dangerous. So again, we’re very thankful we were able to apprehend some of the suspects, and we’re hoping to further our investigation into this criminal enterprise.”

If you know more about this case or others, call Hazel Park Police at (248) 547-3034.

Call Staff Writer Andy Kozlowski at (586) 498-1046