Manistique, MI - Three Schoolcraft County juveniles are in custody, following a high-speed chase with Manistique Public Safety.
Wednesday around 3:20 a.m., an officer saw a vehicle with its lights off driving under the speed limit on US-2 near the Lakeshore BP. When the officer tried to stop the vehicle, it turned onto Arbutus Avenue, increased its speed, and blew through a stop sign at Range Street. The officer activated his siren to alert any vehicles or pedestrians of the unsafe situation and radioed for assistance.
The suspect vehicle eventually turned north onto US-2 and increased its speed exiting the City of Manistique, reaching over 100 miles per hour.
A Sault Tribal Police officer responding from east of the city encountered the two vehicles as they reached the Tannery Road intersection. The suspect vehicle traveled directly toward the Sault patrol car, then veered south in an attempt to turn onto Tannery Road. It left the roadway and crashed, coming to rest about 115 feet from the road.
Multiple people exited the vehicle, but police immediately detained a male and a female. The driver fled on foot.
Another Public Safety officer and two Michigan State Police troopers responded to the scene. Members of the Manistique Volunteer Fire Department also arrived due to smoke coming from the crashed vehicle.
Information obtained from the two passengers was used to identify the driver of the suspect vehicle. Shortly after 6 a.m., a firefighter who was clearing the scene saw the suspect and notified police. The driver was taken into custody.
The driver was identified as a 15-year-old Manistique resident. The two passengers were 14-year-old Schoolcraft County residents. The vehicle the suspect was driving was taken without the owner’s permission.
The passengers were take to Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital with minor injuries.
The incident remains under investigation.
