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Man taken into custody after road rage incident on Southfield Freeway

A road rage incident led to a crash and an assault Sunday on the Southfield Freeway in Metro Detroit, Michigan State Police said. 

"The callers in this incident tried everything to get away from this suspect," Michigan State Police F/Lt. Mike Shaw said about the case. 

The emergency call about 1 p.m. Sunday reported a crash and altercation in the southbound lanes of M-39 (Southfield Freeway) near Puritan Street, troopers said. But as officers were en route to that location, both vehicles left the scene. 

Troopers caught up with the woman who was the victim of the incident and her male passenger at Grand River Avenue and Fenkell Street.  

They told police that they were in a Toyota when a man who was driving an orange Dodge Challenger got involved in a road rage incident with them. The Challenger driver kept following the Toyota as the driver exited and then re-entered the freeway. At one point, troopers said, the Challenger driver got out of the vehicle and kicked the Toyota. 

During another attempt to get away from the Challenger, the driver of the Toyota got on the Southfield Freeway. 

When the vehicles were near Seven Mile Road, police said, the man who was driving the Challenger aggressively cut in front of the Toyota and brake checked the Toyota, causing a crash. 

Both drivers stopped in the center lane of the southbound lanes. Police said the man got out of the Challenger and climbed onto the hood of the Toyota. 

When the man who was a passenger in the Toyota got out of his car in response, the driver of the Challenger got back into his car and sped off. 

The victims told police they did not know the driver or had any altercation with him before this incident. 

The suspect and his vehicle were found near Grand River Avenue and Livernois Street, police said. But when troopers tried to do a traffic stop, he sped off. 

Troopers said that while they were working on submitting a search warrant for the suspect's home, Southfield Police informed the Detroit Regional Communications Center that their officers had the man and vehicle in custody over an unrelated incident. 

The Challenger has been seized. State police will send a report to the prosecutor's office for review. 

"We do want to remind drivers if they do come across a aggressive driver to also call 911 when they are trying to separate themselves from the suspect. Unfortunately, you just don't know what these suspects might do," Shaw said. 

The above video originally aired on Aug. 19.

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