Police chase comes to a 'gruesome' end after attempted-murder suspect crashes into 18-wheeler

At 3 a.m. on Tuesday morning, a suspect reportedly shot at an individual sitting in a parked vehicle near the intersection of Faircrest and Hayes in Detroit. James White, chief of the Detroit Police Department, told reporters that the suspect continued shooting at the victim, who — reportedly unacquainted with the shooter — then exited the vehicle and fled into his house. The suspect proceeded to shoot into the house.

ShotSpotter, a network of acoustic sensors that can detect and report gunshots to authorities, alerted police to the incident. Additional information provided by the department's 9th Precinct Crime Intelligence Unit sent police to a nearby gas station, where the suspect is believed to have stopped.

Since the gas station was partnered with the DPD on its Project Green Light initiative, the station's real-time camera connections provided police with the license plate number belonging to the suspect's vehicle, a Chrysler 300. Police Sgt. William O'Brien indicated the vehicle was stolen.

Police began their search for the suspect, whom they planned to charge with assault with intent to commit murder.

White indicated that police intercepted the vehicle later that morning and attempted a traffic stop. The suspect fled, successfully evading police, but only for a moment.

White said the officers found him in the Glenfield/Wilfred area, on Detroit's east side. "They see this truck, they see the vehicle has collided with the truck."

Police checked on the victim inside the wrecked vehicle, wedged under a U.S. Postal Service tractor-trailer, and saw that he was "obviously deceased."

WWJ's Charlie Langton, present when first responders attempted to free the body from the wreck, said it was a "gruesome scene."

According to WJBK, the suspect was claimed to have been driving at close to 100 mph when he crashed.

Inside the stolen vehicle, police recovered two weapons, reportedly stolen last month in Romulus, Michigan.

White suggested that while the suspect "made an unfortunate decision," it was nevertheless a "very sad and tragic situation."