Men Accused of Stealing Catalytic Converters, Fleeing Ferndale Police

(Ferndale Police, Feb.19, 2023)

Ferndale, MI – On February 16, 2023, at approximately 3:52 a.m., Ferndale police officers responded to a business, located at 2435 Burdette, on a report of a larceny in progress.

The caller heard a saw cutting in the parking lot. Officers quickly arrived and approached the parking lot on foot. Officers observed a man underneath a work van with a catalytic converter next to him.

The suspect ran and entered a Ford F-150 parked in the lot, driven by a second male suspect. The driver quickly reversed nearly hitting an officer and striking another parked vehicle. Officers shouted commands to stop. The driver disregarded commands and drove forward, nearly striking a second officer.

The suspects fled in the F-150 southbound on Burdette St. Officers pursued the F-150 with emergency lights and sirens activated. The pursuit ended when the F- 150 crashed into a lane divider at the John C. Lodge service drive and Hubbell St, in Detroit.

Both suspects fled on foot from the disabled F-150. Officers arrested both suspects nearby without incident. There were no injuries.

On-scene investigation revealed an attempted larceny occurred. The suspects cut a catalytic converter from a Ferndale business van using a “Sawzall”.

Officers recovered two additional catalytic converters, additional burglary tools, and a police scanner inside the suspect’s truck.

This case was presented to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office and both suspects were charged with the following:

Randall Mitchell, 40, of Detroit: 2-cts, Felonious Assault, 1-ct, Fleeing & Eluding, 1-ct, Resisting & Obstructing, 1-ct, Attempt – Larceny from a Motor Vehicle

Darius Jones, 43, of Detroit: 1-ct, Resisting & Obstructing, 1-ct, Attempt – Larceny of a Motor Vehicle

On February 17, 2023, both suspects were arraigned by 43 rd District Court Magistrate Brennan. Mitchell was given a $250,000 cash/surety bond and is scheduled to appear next on February 23, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. Jones was given a $25,000 (10%) cash/surety bond and is scheduled to appear next February 23, 2023 at 1:00 p.m.

NOTE: Police and Fire Reports come directly from the agency involved and are written by the person or agency listed below the title. We generally run these “as is” or with minimal editing for punctuation, spelling, etc. Suspects should not be presumed guilty. Those needing more information about a case are encouraged to follow up with the reporting agency or court system for the most current information.

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