(WWJ) Half-a-dozen people have been arrested on charges related to what authorities say was a violent auto theft ring operating in Metro Detroit.
The announcement from the Michigan Attorney General's Office came Thursday in Troy, where the investigation originated several months back, with the Troy Police Department.
WWJ's Jon Hewett reports, in March of this year, Troy detectives went to the AG's office for support in their investigation into a group believed to be responsible for over 400 vehicle thefts in all.
"The six involved, as far as the charges here, are responsible for some 200 thefts, according to the Attorney General today," Hewett said.
According to AG Dana Nessel, the vehicles in question were stolen from General Motors, Ford and Stellantis overflow lots, as well as dealerships in Metro Detroit.
Nessel said several of these thefts involved violence, including shooting at officers and ramming security officers in their vehicles, causing severe injuries.
"In one instance a security officer working a night shift on a Big Three automotive manufacturers storage lot was rammed inside her vehicle so severely that both her legs were broken upon impact," Nessel said.
Nessel estimates over $30 million in merchandise was stolen since August of last year, with some of the vehicles then used in other violent crimes.
"Some of these stolen vehicles have been subsequently linked to additional crimes such as armed robbery, weapons offenses, felony, evasion of police, additional carjackings, murders and attempted murders, typically shooting from moving vehicles," Nessel said.
"It's like a Grand Theft Auto video game. is really the best I can compare this enterprise to," she said.
On Wednesday, over 200 officers from more than a dozen other state, federal, and local law enforcement agencies executed eight arrest warrants against the suspects, including in a raid on a home on Detroit's northwest side.
Recovered, the AG said, were seven stolen vehicles, hundreds of associated car parts linked to stolen vehicles, a large quantity of electronic key fobs, stolen dealership license plates, burglary tools including some devices specifically for stealing cars, along with thousands of dollars in cash, and "a significant volume of additional evidence," including nine firearms.
On-scene and assisting in the arrests were officers from the FORCE Team, the Department’s Criminal Investigations Division, the Troy Police Department, the Michigan State Police, the Michigan Intelligence Operations Center, the Detroit Police Department, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department, and the local police departments of Auburn Hills, Birmingham, Blackman Township, Bloomfield Township, Canton, Grosse Pointe City, Grosse Pointe Park, Livonia, and Royal Oak.
Each defendant has been charged with Conducting a Criminal Enterprise and Use of a Computer to Commit a Crime, both 20-year felonies.
Arrested and charged so far in this case are the following:
- Kevin Lamont Stevenson Jr. , 21, of Detroit, who has been additionally charged with nine counts of Receiving and Concealing a Stolen Motor Vehicle.
- Joseph David Doyle , 25, of Onsted, who has been additionally charged with six counts of Receiving and Concealing a Stolen Motor Vehicle.
- Braylen Jeese Green , 20, of Wixom, who has been additionally charged with nine counts of Receiving and Concealing a Stolen Motor Vehicle.
- Dejhon Trevon Bush , 20, of Detroit, who has been additionally charged with seven counts of Receiving and Concealing a Stolen Motor Vehicle
- Zamarr Terrell Johnson , 18, of Troy, who has been additionally charged with 12 counts of Receiving and Concealing a Stolen Motor Vehicle and two counts of 4th Degree Fleeing or Eluding.
- Desmond Maurice Wilson , 21, of Detroit, who has been additionally charged with nine counts of Receiving and Concealing a Stolen Motor Vehicle and one count of Breaking and Entering with Intent.
The AG's office said it is working with the Michigan State Police Fugitive Team to locate and arrest two additional suspects facing charges, and that a total of 20 other suspects have been identified in connection with this operation.
Their names have not been released.
"Policing relies on teamwork,” said Col. James F. Grady II, director of the Michigan State Police. “We depend on each other to effectively serve the public. This case is an excellent example of that collaboration. Yesterday’s operation will make an immediate positive impact on public safety as we continue to build a Michigan where everyone feels safe and secure.”
The AG and police are promising to go after the buyers of these stolen vehicles as well.
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