Police say a woman seen driving on train tracks in downtown Royal Oak early Sunday morning Nov. 9, with an open container of alcohol in her SUV, fled from officers and crashed into the front window of an Ulta Beauty, causing thousands of dollars in damage.
While the vehicle was inside the store, police say the driver tried again to escape, backing up and ramming a police car.
“She continued her attempts to drive away from officers and drove her vehicle further into the store, causing thousands of dollars in additional damage,” according to a news release from the Royal Oak Police Department.
“The driver’s vehicle then became lodged on debris inside the store, and she was taken into custody without further incident.”
Police first encountered the woman around 12:40 a.m. after responding to a report that a vehicle was driving on the train tracks near West Fourth and South Center streets. When officers arrived, they saw an SUV near the tracks and tried to talk with the driver, who refused to cooperate. The vehicle had a tire going flat and there was an open alcohol container in the SUV, police said.
The driver fled north on Washington Avenue when an officer asked for her driver’s license, according to the release. Police pursued her west on Farnum Avenue to Oakridge Avenue, which ends at an alley parallel to northbound Woodward. The woman drove into the parking lot of the store at 27844 Woodward Ave., where she lost control of the vehicle.
The driver, a 26-year-old woman from Canton, and a passenger were treated for minor injuries. No officers were injured.
“We are extremely fortunate this suspect did not seriously injure or kill our officers, herself, her passenger, or anyone else during this reckless incident,” Police Chief Michael Moore said in the news release.
The driver was charged with six felonies, including malicious destruction of a building, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and fleeing police, 3rd degree, punishable by up to five years in prison, police said. She is suspected of being under the influence of alcohol, but police said they are awaiting the result of a blood test.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Canton woman flees police, crashes into Royal Oak Ulta, rams cop car
Reporting by Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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