Livonia police make arrest in recent series of vehicle break-ins

Livonia police said they have arrested a Detroit man believed to be a suspect in a series of local vehicle break-ins.

The man was arrested on Friday after investigators with the Livonia Police Department observed him attempting to break into vehicles, the report said. He tried to drive off, but the police stopped the vehicle with a Grappler Police Bumper, a cable-and-net device designed to force a vehicle to stop. He was taken into custody without incident. 

Richard Johnson, 32, of Detroit, was arraigned on Monday at 16th District Court in Livonia on one count each of felony larceny and felony larceny from a motor vehicle, along with six counts of misdemeanor larceny, Livonia police said. Bond was set at $50,000. A probable cause conference was scheduled for August 27. 

The investigation has been taking place for the past couple of weeks, police said, citing a series of vehicle break-ins in the area. Investigators were able to collect fingerprints and used that evidence to identify a possible suspect. 

Livonia police ask that anyone in the area who has been a victim of a vehicle break-in in the past several weeks but has not yet filed a police report do so, in case the incident is related to this investigation.