Man dead after suspect runs him over at Detroit gas station, police say
A man is dead after he was run over by his own vehicle at a gas station on Detroit's west side, police said.
The assault happened around 4:30 a.m. Tuesday at a Sunoco gas station on Joy Road near Greenfield Road. Detroit police say a man had parked his Jeep Compass at the gas station, went inside the building, and found someone inside his vehicle when he went back outside.
The suspect got out of the Jeep and began to assault the man, police said.
"After the attack, the victim was severely injured. The suspect then re-entered the victim's vehicle and drove over the victim numerous times," said Detroit Police Captain Marcus Thirlkill.
The suspect then drove off and was taken into custody by police after a short pursuit about a mile away from the gas station near the intersection of Warren and Greenfield.
"This was a heinous act. Just want to commend the officers from Michigan State Police, Detroit Police Department, and Dearborn Police for their fast response to this situation of removing this violent individual off the city streets," Thirlkill said.
Witnesses who live nearby tell CBS News Detroit they're shocked this happened in their neighborhood.
"This is nerve-wracking because I stay like right next door, so seeing this in real life was very traumatizing," said Winter, a resident nearby.
Neighbors and the owner of the Sunoco gas station also told CBS News Detroit that they did not know the victim personally, but say he was always kind, lived in the area, and stopped by this gas station often.
"It's a sad situation. The guy was a local guy, stayed across the street over there. I just hate to hear that about him," resident Cocoa said.
Police say they don't know what prompted this random attack, and because the investigation is in the early stages, the names of the victim and suspect have not been released.
CBS News Detroit also reached out to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office for possible charges.
The incident remains under investigation.
