The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office has released dramatic footage of one of its deputies performing what it calls a “textbook” PIT (precision immobilization technique) maneuver to stop a fleeing vehicle from heading the wrong way on I-96.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, at about 8:20 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 8, deputies attempted to stop a 2021 Toyota Rav4 with a stolen registration plate on westbound I-96 near M-59 in Howell Township.
When the deputy activated the emergency lights, the vehicle accelerated in an attempt to flee, reaching speeds over 100 mph.
An officer from the Fowlerville Police Department officer was in position on westbound I-96 about a mile west of Fowlerville Road to deploy stop sticks. When the suspect saw the Fowlerville patrol car, he cut across the median to avoid the stop sticks.
The Toyota began to travel westbound in the eastbound lanes of I-96. Deputies followed the Toyota through the median and immediately performed a PIT maneuver to stop the vehicle from traveling the wrong way on I-96. The vehicle went into the median, coming to a stop, and the driver — a 34-year-old Detroit man — was taken into custody without further incident.
There were no injuries sustained in the maneuver ,and the vehicles sustained minor damage.
The registration plate, reported stolen out of Detroit Police Department, belonged on a 2012 Ford Taurus. The 2021 Toyota Rav4 was also reported stolen out of Southfield Police Department.
The incident remains under investigation.
