Allen Marken Baity III
By SUE SUCHYTA
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN – Two brothers in a Camaro who ran a red light on westbound Michigan Avenue at Miller Road at 1:16 a.m. Sept. 9 are in custody after unsuccessfully attempting to flee.
When a police officer who was southbound on Miller approached Michigan Avenue, he saw a blue Chevrolet Camaro run a run red light, while driving at a high rate of speed, and initiated a traffic stop. The car pulled into a nearby KFC parking lot.
The officer called for backup, then approached the car, where the driver, Leandre Shelby, 32, of Davison, produced his driver’s license, while the passenger, Allen Marken Baity III, 27, of Detroit, provided a Michigan identification card.
The driver, Shelby, said he was distracted by his smartphone GPS, which caused him to run the light.
When the police officer illuminated the inside of the car with a flashlight, he saw an open bottle of Patron tequila in the back seat.
Two other police officers arrived on the scene. Meanwhile, Shelby was unable to produce his vehicle registration.
A record check on Shelby came up clean, but Baity had a fraud warrant out of the 16th District Court in Livonia.
The police officers again approached the car, and asked the driver to step out of the vehicle, but Shelby refused to comply, and ignored repeated verbal commands.
The police officer then noticed what appeared to be a black handgun on passenger Baity’s lap, and when the police officer attempted to open the car door, Shelby placed the car in drive and sped out of the parking lot.
The two men in the Camaro fled south on Miller before turning west on Prospect Street, then, when Prospect ended, the driver turned south onto Maple Street, which dead-ended at the railroad tracks.
The passenger, Baity, then exited the car and fled west along the railroad tracks with what appeared to be a handgun.
Meanwhile, Shelby drove the Camaro onto the railroad tracks, where he got stuck. He tried to rock the car back and forth, then exited the car and tried to lift the vehicle off the tracks himself.
Police officers caught up with Shelby at this point, and ordered him to surrender and raise his arms, but he ignored them, re-entered the car, and tried unsuccessfully once again to drive it off the tracks.
When the car failed to move forward, Shelby exited the car a second time, and tried once more to lift the car off the railroad tracks. When he tried to get back into the car, police officers grabbed him, guided him to the ground, and, despite an attempt to place his hands under his body, he was eventually handcuffed and taken into custody.
A search of the vehicle revealed two handguns in the glove box, neither of which were registered to Shelby or Baity.
The open bottle of tequila, which was a quarter full, was emptied in front of the in-dash police vehicle camera.
Two cell phones were recovered from the passenger side of the car, and one cell phone was retrieved from the driver’s side of the car.
Shelby was then transported to the Dearborn police station, where he was booked and held.
While Shelby was trying to get his car off the railroad tracks, Baity was fleeing on foot, and Dearborn police officers, a K-9 officer, Michigan State Police officers and other resources, including a helicopter search, were used in an attempt to locate Baity.
The dispatch center received calls that Baity was on Maple Street, asking random people if he could use their cell phone to make a call, or if they would give him a ride.
Later, it was determined that Baity had entered an unlocked house on Georgetown Court, about five blocks from where he had exited the Camaro, where he was held at gunpoint by the resident, who relented when Baity claimed he was robbed by three men.
The resident, who did not wish to bring charges against Baity, said he let him use his phone to call for a ride, and gave him a can of pop and a shirt to wear.
Police later learned that Baity was on parole, and when his parole officer was contacted, he said Baity had already contacted him with a different version of events: He said his brother fled the traffic stop despite him telling him to stop, he said he never had a gun, and claimed the officer must have seen his cell phone on his lap, and later, his glasses in his hand.
A stakeout was conducted near where Baity was staying in Detroit, and when he entered a car as a passenger the next afternoon, a traffic stop was immediately conducted, and he was taken into custody without incident.
Shelby and Baity were arraigned Sept. 11 in 19th District Court in front of Judge Mark Somers.
Shelby was charged with fleeing and eluding, carrying a concealed weapon, and resisting and obstructing police. His bond was set at $50,000 and he was required to wear a tether.
Baity was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, being a felon in possession of a firearm, felony firearm, and being a habitual offender. His bond was set at $100,000, and he was also required to wear a tether.