By DANIEL HERATY
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN – A man being chased by police died of a gunshot wound to the head about 9 a.m. Monday after he and two other men attempted to rob Starters Bar & Grill inside Fairlane Town Center.
The co-owner of the restaurant, Mariam Saad, was carrying $10,000 in payroll checks when she was approached by one of the men. After handing the checks over, she got in her car, called 911 and informed police that they got into a 1992 white Buick Roadmaster and headed north on the Southfield Freeway.
She stayed on the phone and followed the car until police caught up with them at Joy Road, Police Chief Ronald Haddad said. Following a short chase, the suspects crashed their car along a guardrail on the Joy Road overpass over the Southfield Freeway in Detroit.
According to published reports, Saad believes the robbery was an inside job, and that the robbers knew she was going to have the checks that morning.
When police caught up with the suspects, they all ran away on foot in different directions. The first, Charles Edward Rhodes, 20, of Detroit, was arrested after a short foot chase along the Southfield service drive embankment. He was charged with unarmed robbery, armed robbery, larceny from a person and assaulting a police officer.
Rhodes was arraigned by Judge Mark Somers in 19th District Court Wednesday; bond was set at $500,000.
A preliminary examination of the evidence against him is set for Friday.
A second suspect, Previn Lamar Dixon, 19, of Detroit, was driving the car. He ran along Ashton Street, allegedly firing shots at officers when he was killed by a gunshot to the head. News reports conflicted on whether police shot the man or he shot himself.
“I’m confident that the evidence will show that it’s a self-inflicted wound,” Haddad said.
Police still are searching for the third suspect. He is described as a 35-year-old male wearing a dark jacket with a white cap. Haddad said at press time that police had some leads as to the identity of the third suspect, but nothing definite.