By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
MELVINDALE — A man who stole a relative’s minivan from Coogan Terrace, 3501 Oakwood Blvd. in Melvindale on the afternoon of Jan. 2 tried to flee police officers on Outer Drive through Allen Park and Dearborn before trying to flee on foot and eventually being captured while attempting to hide in a residential trash bin on the Southfield Service Drive in Dearborn.
The driver panicked when he saw a police officer when he was initially driving the tan 2004 Dodge Caravan away from Coogan Terrace after forcibly taking the keys from a relative.
The man fled on Outer Drive until he abandoned his vehicle on a residential cross street, Linden Street, and attempted to flee on foot. He subsequently lost both of his shoes while attempting to run away.
Witnesses helped police officers continue their pursuit of the man through a residential area, where the man was running through back yards. The man was eventually found trying to hide inside a residential trash bin.
The man, who claimed to be injured from fleeing, was taken to a local hospital, where he was medically cleared for incarceration.
The minivan, which had an expired registration and was uninsured, was impounded and towed.