By Mark Hicks
The Detroit News
DETROIT — Two people have been arrested in connection with an attack on an off-duty Detroit police officer, Chief James White announced Monday.
The pair, both juveniles, were apprehended in Southfield following talks between Detroit investigators and their attorney, the chief told reporters.
The youths have been processed through the city’s Sixth Precinct, White said.
Their arrest, which unfolded without incident, was “the best outcome we could have,” the chief told reporters.
The attack was reported around 5:30 p.m. Saturday in the 18100 block of Joy, the Detroit Police Department said.
The suspects tried to steal the officer’s gun, authorities reported.
He was in uniform and had been en route to work at the Taylor Swift concert in Ford Field downtown.
“Our officer is a hero and made the decision to fight for his weapon, get his weapon back,” White said Monday. “The attack was completely unprovoked. And (the officer) also made the courageous decision not to fire at the suspects, even though one of the suspects had a weapon in his hand and was preparing, or at least thinking about, shooting our officer before he fled. The officer made that decision based on his review of the environment and there were people coming and going in the store. So he literally laid his life down to ensure that no one else got hurt.”
Within hours, police issued an alert on the suspects and announced a $5,000 reward for tips.
Through the weekend, the pair hid and “changed their appearance,” White said. “They did a number of things to not be captured.”
The two were found following “a relentless pursuit” aided by community input, talking with the suspects’ families and detective work, the chief said.
White declined to elaborate on a motive or additional details in the case, stressing the attack was “completely unprovoked, nonsensical and sad for them. I mean, these are young men that should’ve been enjoying the summer. And they decided inexplicably to attack a police officer.”
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