Michigan man jumps into river, other steals and crashes police cruiser, $25,000 in damages
GRAND LEDGE - It was one thing after another after another for police officers Tuesday night in downtown Grand Ledge.
What started as a flag-swiping prank ended with one man crashing a stolen police cruiser through a lumber business and another hurling himself into the Grand River trying to outswim officers, Grand Ledge police said.
Two 19-year-old men - one from Grand Ledge, the other from Delta Township - are awaiting charges including malicious destruction of property and resisting arrest after their escape attempts by both land and sea failed, police said.
One of those attempts ended when the cruiser crashed into Big L Cash and Carry Lumberland on North Clinton Street.
I'm "just always surprised at what kids can do," employee Pete Turcotte said Wednesday, shaking his head and surveying the estimated $25,000 in damage.
Here's how police say it all went down:
At 11:40 p.m. a Grand Ledge officer saw two men tearing down flags on the Bridge
Street bridge and throwing them over the side.
After handcuffing and putting one of the men in his police car, the officer told the other man to walk toward him.
Eyeing the sidewalk below, the man jumped over the side of the bridge.
But when the officer started running after him, he hurled himself into the Grand River and tried to swim across.
Forty cold, wet minutes later, he was found and taken into custody.
As the one man made a break for it in the river, the other man in the police car managed to escape his handcuffs, police said.
He crawled into the front seat and took off, quickly turning north on M-100, police said.
He didn't get far.
The man crashed into the lumber store, just north of Clinton and Bridge streets, flipping the car over, police said.
One officer injured his knee while pulling the man, who also had minor injuries, from the overturned car, Underhill said.
Pulling such outrageous stunts to escape does happen, Police Chief Martin Underhill said - but not often in Grand Ledge.
"It was a significant event for our community," he said.
"(But) these things happen and the best we can do is contain the damage."
Staff writer Tracy Burton contributed to this report.