Michigan has seen its fair share of brazen auto thefts, but few compare to the one that happened on Monday morning outside Flint, northwest of Detroit.
According to Fox 2 Detroit, a group of approximately 30 people stormed a highly secure parking lot where dozens of dealer vehicles were being stored. Despite having electrified fences and a armed security guard, the group managed to get inside.
Once on the lot, the group reportedly shot at a security guard who returned fire. Despite the resistance, the thieves were apparently able to steal a vehicle and slam through a security gate, damaging other vehicles in the process. This effectively opened the flood gates as the group was able to steal 13 vehicles altogether.
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“Fired shots at him, he exchanged gunfire with those suspects. They were able to get into vehicles and drove through the gate, damaging other vehicles on the way out and were able to get away,” Flint Police Chie Terance Green told reporters.
While a number of people managed to get away, a 2022 Ford Mustang crashed on an exit ramp in Auburn Hills. The city’s police department said they responded at 4:00 am, but the driver was pronounced dead at the scene.
Nearly four hours later, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook encouraging everyone at Oakland University to stay indoors as two other vehicles “fled into Oakland County and crashed,” causing suspects to flee on foot. Other reports simply indicate that one of the vehicles was abandoned, but the incident caused the campus to be placed on lockdown.
Authorities are still trying to piece everything together, but seven vehicles have reportedly been recovered already. Flint police believe the theft is the result of a group based out of Detroit, but the investigation is far from over and involves multiple departments.