FERNDALE, Mich. (WXYZ) - He may have used a fake gun, but the charges a Pontiac man faces are very real. He's accused in two different carjackings at area car dealerships this week.
The 2010 Ford Fusion stolen from a Troy car dealership on Tuesday is now in the hands of investigators. The brand new car was found abandoned in Highland Park Thursday morning with no gas, but still in good shape.
Police now believe the suspect who stole it from a salesman at gunpoint at Elder Ford in Troy this week is in custody. The 21-year-old Pontiac man is believed to have committed a similar crime on Wednesday in Ferndale.
Investigators say the man was in the used car lot at Fresard Buick/Pontiac/GMC on Woodward Avenue.
A salesperson was showing used cars to the suspect when he put a handgun to the salesman's head and took off in the 2009 Chrysler 300.
A Pleasant Ridge police officer spotted the stolen car near Ten Mile Road and Main Street. The officer followed the vehicle and the suspect eventually crashed head-on into an SUV on Main Street.
The suspect got out and ran, pointing his gun at witnesses and at a Ferndale police officer who had arrived at the scene. The officer fired twice, but missed. The suspect then surrendered.
Upon arrest, police discovered that the gun the suspect had been waving was a fake, a toy Airsoft pistol.
