Cold case carjacking cracked by Southfield police, ending 2-year investigation

medium of being here. Most importantly, I do want to recognize our victim is here. And so, you know, just going through an experience such as being carjacked early morning hours and you simply just trying to go to work and earn a living very traumatic victim. Very brave. At the time she was 19 certainly 21 years old. Today she did join us with her loved one, and we're gonna make sure that this story is told. Huge impact on his family and a commitment from the South Police Department in Oakland County. All of their task force that we would get to the bottom of this incident no matter how long it would take. So today, the South Department is announcing a significant development in the investigation of a carjacking that occurred in our community on September 6 2024 at the more than two years of persistent investigative work. South of detectives working with members of the Oakland County Auto Theft Task Force and our law enforcement partners with the Columbus, Ohio Division of Public Police have developed significant evidence to identify the suspect and obtain a seven count war in connection with this case. And just a reminder, the Oakland County Auto Theft Task Force is comprised of officers from the Southfield Police Department, Detroit Police Department, Farmington Hills, P. D. Hazel Park, P. D. And the Oakland County Sheriff's Office. I did have opportunity to also speak with the chief of police for the Columbus, Ohio Division of Police Chief Elaine Bryant Williams, certainly a good friend of mine who we served with Detroit Police Department some years ago. And again, she now leads Ohio's Columbus, Ohio's Police Department. I just thanked her and her officers for assisting us with this investigation because it did provide very valuable information. We'll get to how that occurred on Friday, September 6 2024 at approximately 6 34 a.m. Southfield Police Dispatch received a 911 call from our then 19 year old female victim. The victim had arrived at Chick Fil A located at 28588 Telegraph Road for her work shift as she walked from her black 2013 for focus towards the restaurant. She was approached by a lone male suspect. The suspect pointed a black handgun at her chest and demanded her cell phone and vehicle keys. The suspect then fled the area in her vehicle. South of police officers responded to the scene and immediately began gathering information from our victim who potentially led us with very valuable information. And we were able to review information from surveillance video. Members of the Oakland County Auto Theft Task Force were monitoring police radio and responded to assist with the investigation and ultimately leave the investigation. The victim shared her cell phone location with a friend. The friend reported that the phone appeared to be stationary in the area of Southbound Southfield Freeway and McNichols Road in the city of Detroit. Detectives responded to the area but were unable to locate the vehicle or the cell phone. Detectives then began actively monitoring flock license plate reader data in an effort to track the stolen Ford focus. Flop technology became one of the most important investigative tools in this case. At approximately seven a.m. Detectives received a flop notification showing the victim stolen Ford focus was in the area of Southfield Road and I 75 in Lincoln Park at approximately 10 41 a.m. Detectives received another flop notification showing the stolen Ford focus in the area of Sullivan Avenue and South Warren Avenue in the city of Columbus, Ohio. Southfield detectives immediately contacted the Columbus, Ohio Police Department and provide information regarding the stolen vehicle and the carjacking investigation. At approximately 11 15 a.m. Another flock notification placed a vehicle near Sullivan Avenue in South Highland Avenue in Columbus, Ohio. Detectives again notified Columbus police officers and they located the vehicle initiated a vehicular pursuit. The pursuit ended with the stolen Ford crashed. The suspect fled the vehicle on foot and was able to escape at that time. Columbus officers recovered the victim's vehicle and a black handgun believed to be associated with the that firearm would later become an important piece of evidence to this investigation. The investigation did not end with the recovery of the vehicle. Southern detectives and members of the Oakland County Office Task Force continue working this case for more than two years. Their investigative efforts included extensive surveillance, video collection and review, witness interviews, cell tower analysis, phone records, flight license plate reader data, physical evidence and forensic evidence processing. As the investigation progressed, detectives identified a suspect who a totality of these investigative efforts. One particularly important aspect of the investigation involved comparing serial location information associated with the suspect with the individual flat notifications generated by the stolen vehicle. The cellular location information was consistent with the movements of the stolen Ford Focus as it traveled through Michigan and ultimately into the state of Ohio. On November 8, 2025, investigators learned that the suspect was being held in the Lebanon Correctional Institution in Lebanon, Ohio, with an expected release date of April 16 2030 on unrelated, aggravated robbery and other felony charges. On Monday, March 30, 2026, Oakland County Office Task Force detectives traveled to Lebanon Correctional Institution and interviewed our suspect. During the interview, the suspect was uncorrupted and attempted to mislead our detectives by claiming that he had never been to the state of Michigan. On Wednesday, May 6, 2026, detectives traveled to the Columbus Police Department Evidence Building. Columbus Police provided detectives with evidence associated with the investigation, including DNA swabs from the firearm and the magazine, a used cigarette butt, black fabric glove and a section of the vehicle's airbag containing a stain. The evidence was transported to the Southfield Police Department and submitted for forensic examination. On Thursday, May 8, 2026, investigators received forensic laboratory results from the Oakland County Sheriff's Office Crime Laboratory. The examination identified the suspect's DNA on the firearm and on the section of the vehicle's airbag. This evidence was considered, together with other investigative evidence developed during the case, provided significant additional support connecting the suspect to the carjacking, stolen vehicle and the firearm. The suspect is currently being held at the Ohio Correctional Facility that I described and awaiting extradition to the state of Michigan. At this time, because the suspect has not yet been arraigned on Oakland County Southfield charges, the South Police Department, we cannot release his name or his photograph. However, at the appropriate time, when we're able to release that information immediately following his arraignment, we will provide an update and share his identity and name with you. However, the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office issued the following charges. Again, a suspect 30 years old, resident of Louisville, Kentucky. Charge one. Count one carjacking counts 246 weapons, felony firearm. Count three robbery armed. Count five weapons, firearms, possession by felon. Count seven weapons carrying concealed. So again, these are very significant charges. Certain I did have an opportunity to share with you the use of flock, uh, license plate readings being significant. I know there's a lot of controversy surrounding flock, but I'm gonna tell you, uh, these cases like these that stand out with the South of Police Department and other agencies can approach a victim who's been a victim of a violent crime. Imagine a handgun being placed at your chest at six o'clock in the morning as you're trying to go to work. Your phone is taking your vehicles, taking the trauma that put on our victim and other victims of crime. We will use all available technology to bring justice for these families and get these perpetrators, these predators off the street. I had an opportunity to speak with our victim again. 21 years old now. Very nice lady. Very concerned about this case between her and her father. Continue to talk to our lead detective over these last two years and our lead detective. I'm gonna tell you the Southfield police detective assigned to the Oakland County Auto Theft Task Force. Uh, very instrumental working with the team. Certainly great leadership in Oakland County Auto Theft Task Force. But just the patience shown by a victim understanding that there's a lot of work that goes into solving these cases, particularly when a suspect fleas and we don't have this identity readily available. But this great work of tracking them down using available evidence coordinated with other police departments led to the arrest. And we can stand in front of this victim and say you have justice. And then that victim now is able to begin the healing process. She's never gonna forget this experience, but she could begin the healing process. So we're gonna show some body cam or dash cam video rather from the Columbus, Ohio Division of Police. Again, we notified them when we got the fly kit that it didn't locate that vehicle. We're also going to show video of the suspect in the cloak of darkness as he uh, sought after our victim in that parking lot. It will not capture the actual carjacking, but just him approaching the restaurant and then committing this heinous crime. And then we'll also show some evidence that was collected at the scene in Columbus, Ohio. So we could lower the lights and then immediately you can focus in on our monitors. Where? No. He's waiting. What's wrong? I got you. What's wrong? No. Again, you're gonna see him approach. The video will alter here. Just showing the suspect here momentarily. Pay attention to the upper portion of the video. You see a predator stalking our victim. And then certainly the handgun used in this crime and ultimately our victims vehicle. Okay, we could turn the lights back on. Give media a chance to refocus. And again, I'm gonna fall over the floor for questions. Certainly another message to our victim again. Thank you for being here. We know this was important to you to see this. I know it brings back memories, uh, and anxiety. But again, I really commend your courage for being here on your confidence in the Southfield Police Department. More importantly, your patience with the Southfield Police Department and Oakland County of the task force and certainly for your loved one. I thank you as well for supporting her because you know, these things bring lasting trauma. But again, we do all that we can to ensure that you get justice. And again, I just thank you for your courage. And with that, I opened up the floor for questions. Yes, he's in prison in Lebanon Correctional Facility in Ohio. He is scheduled for release from those charges. Ohio charges in 2030. However, he will be extradited here to the state of Michigan. Uh, we're gonna extend that sentence a lot longer. So he'll be extended in Michigan for Michigan Yeah, it will take a little time for that process to occur. But at the appropriate time, uh, with cooperation from the state of Ohio, we will extradite him getting charged, arranged, send him back down to complete that sentence. And then once he completes that sentence, he'll be summoned to the state of Michigan to be held responsible for crimes committed here. Yes, I'm glad you brought that up. The question surrounded by the crime leading out of state and how it may have affected the investigation. See, these criminals are getting smarter. They're thinking about ways that they can escape. And one of those ways is going to a whole nother state to evade apprehension because they have the mindset that we're only gonna look in the general area of the city or state that the crime occurred in, not knowing that we have technology. We have very persistent detectives on. We communicate very well outside of our agency and outside of our state. In this case with the technology, the flat technology did give us an alert. Did that vehicle fled into the state of Ohio, ultimately leading to the police pursuit and the evidence being gathered. And so very significant when they choose to flee the state. But again, as I stated earlier, we will continue to use technology to apprehend these felons and give justice to our victims. Any other questions? Well, we kept our information close to us at that time. Certainly we know we have the evidence. As you all see, oftentimes it's criminals. When you put them on a spot, they seek a lawyer representation anyway. So we just held on to our information. He knows now because he's aware of those footsteps have arrived. And at the appropriate time, he'll be brought back to Michigan. He will be held accountable for what he did to our then 19 year old, now 21 year old victim again, simply trying to go to and received very, very devastating violent crime. Thank you all. Also, the victim does choose to, uh, not, you know, be presented on camera. So we do X that everybody respect your wishes. She may want to talk off camera, maybe, but not necessarily on camera. Yes, sir.