Man Assaulted in YMCA Locker room, Suspect in Custody
(Staff Report, March 1, 2024)
Farmington Hills, MI – A man is hospitalized with severe facial injuries after an assault in the locker room of the Farmington Hills YMCA. Farmington Hills Police sent out the following statement:
Farmington Hills Police arrested one suspect Friday, following an assault incident. Farmington Hills Police Officers responded to the YMCA, located at 28100 Farmington Road in Farmington Hills, at approximately 10:45 a.m., after 911 calls reported an assault in progress.
Officers arrived on scene to find an 80-year-old male resident of West Bloomfield Township unconscious with severe facial injuries in the men’s locker room. A second subject, a 41-year-old male resident of West Bloomfield Township, reported to officers that he had entered the locker room and observed the suspect actively assaulting the victim who was already unconscious and bleeding on the floor. The second subject told police that he immediately intervened and pulled the suspect off the injured man, at which time the suspect attacked the good Samaritan, who was able to fight the suspect off. The suspect fled the scene of the assault on foot.
Through membership records, Farmington Hills Police were able to identify the suspect. Officers immediately began to search for the suspect who was described as a 20-year-old black male, 5 ft. 5 in., 170 lbs., shirtless wearing black shorts and shoes. Uniformed officers, plain clothes detectives, surveillance teams and the Department’s drone were deployed in this search. A Southfield Police Department K9 Unit also responded to assist with the ground search for the suspect.
Police Department personnel contacted local schools to request a precautionary lockdown to ensure that the fleeing suspect did not attempt to gain entry to school buildings. An Everbridge message was also sent to alert the public of the ongoing police incident.
An observant citizen noticed the suspect and called 911 to report his location. Officers immediately responded to the location on Parkhill Street, north of 12 Mile Road, and took the suspect into custody without incident.
The suspect is currently in custody as detectives continue their investigation. Once completed, the matter will be referred to the Oakland County Prosecutors Office for charges.
Farmington Hills Fire Department paramedics transported the 80-year-old victim to a local hospital, where he remains in serious but stable condition.
“I’d like to thank the good Samaritan for taking action to stop the suspect in the midst of a vicious assault, and I’d also like to thank the vigilant citizen for calling 911 when they observed the suspect attempting to conceal himself from police. These actions demonstrate the pride citizens have in the safety of our community and the strong relationship our department enjoys with our community members,” said Farmington Hills Police Chief Jeff King, “Our officers and dispatchers acted swiftly and with outstanding professionalism to ensure appropriate aid to the victims and the eventual peaceful surrender of the suspect.”
Additional information regarding the suspect’s identity will be released following the authorization of criminal charges.
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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