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Five people have been arrested in connection with a series of carjackings in Detroit, Southfield and Dearborn, law enforcement officials announced in a news conference Friday.
A group of boys and men between 16 and 25 years old are believed to be responsible for at least seven jackings between late September and early this week, Detroit Police Chief James White said.
One that occurred this Monday in Southfield involved the shooting of a 23-year-old man who was pumping a tire with air. The suspects, police said, stole his Jeep Grand Cherokee and one was later found with its keys. The victim was shot in the back, hand, and arm but is expected to recover.
Another carjacking the same day in Dearborn involved the theft of a Dodge Charger. In that case, police said a woman was yanked from a car and assaulted while her fiance was held at gunpoint.
"I consider them urban terorrists," Dearborn Police Chief Ronald Haddad said of the group. "They grab people at gun point out of a car. They grabbed a woman by her hair and knocked her to the ground."
At least three of the suspects were arrested in Detroit and at least one vehicle was recovered there. A Detroit police detective said the department had not yet established a motive for the crimes. It appeared the cars were being driven rather than sold; the suspects were said to have used one stolen vehicle in the jacking in Southfield.
Carjackings are not uncommon in Detroit, but they are rare for the suburbs, the law enforcement officials gathered Monday said. In Detroit, carjacking levels have ticked up 1 percent from a year ago, White said.
Video of two that occurred inside the city as part of the spree is available below.
