By Diane Brown
Facilities and Operations
Alleged bicycle thief arrested
Detectives in the Criminal Investigations Division for the Department of Public Safety (DPS) have been following-up on a series of bicycle thefts on campus. Several expensive bicycles have been stolen from a variety of locations. In almost all cases, the bicycles were secured with cable locks.
As a result of the DPS investigation, some of the stolen bicycles have been traced to the Internet, mostly on eBay. Recently, with the cooperation of the Chicago Police Department, a man was arrested after allegedly attempting to sell a bicycle on eBay that had been stolen from the U-M campus. It was valued at more than $2,000.
Bicycle owners are encouraged to use “U” locks, rather than cable locks, to secure their bikes.
Man arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer
A 19-year-old Ypsilanti man was arrested Aug. 24 following an alleged assault of a DPS police officer in the Thompson Street parking structure. The police officer had approached a small group to investigate possible marijuana smoking. The man pushed the officer and attempted to flee. A housing security officer assisted other DPS officers in chasing and apprehending the suspect. The man was arraigned on a felony count of resisting and obstructing a police officer and a misdemeanor count of possession of marijuana. The police officer had minor injuries, but was not hospitalized.
Two strong-arm robberies
Strong-arm robberies occurred on campus on Aug. 21 and 24. In the first incident, which reportedly occurred on the Diag near the flagpole, a male allegedly approached the victim and demanded money the victim was holding. After taking the money, the man is alleged to have struck the victim and fled. The victim was not seriously injured. The suspect is described
as being 25–35 years old, 5 feet 6 inches–5 feet 8 inches with close-cropped hair and a missing front tooth.
The second incident allegedly occurred in the
Thompson Street parking structure shortly before the alleged assault of the police officer described above. A U-M staff member reported that after parking her car, she was followed by five young people who taunted her. As the staff person fled the scene, she dropped her keys, which she reported were picked up by the taunters. Officers located her keys nearby, but were unable to find the youth.
DPS officer aids Ann Arbor officer
A DPS lieutenant responded August 18 to a traffic stop on Stadium Boulevard after the Ann Arbor police officer on the scene called for assistance. An occupant in the car had assaulted the Ann Arbor officer and was attempting to take the officer’s gun. The DPS lieutenant assisted the police officer in securing the suspect. No shots were fired. Upon further investigation, the suspect was identified as wanted on warrants from the Detroit Police Department for murder.
