YPSILANTI, Mich. (WXYZ) — A man police say was fleeing a shooting scene ended up crashing into an Ypsilanti building, igniting a fire that left damage.
The incident was caught on camera and the owners of the building say it’s in the process of becoming an ice cream shop.
Watch Brett Kast's video report below:
The crash happened after 3 a.m. Sunday. Video shows the suspect trying to flee the scene on foot before he was surrounded and arrested in the parking lot.
See surveillance video of the crash below:
Nicolas Arreola is one of the owners of the building, along with his brother Reyes Arreola. The two also own Dos Hermanos Market and Grill directly next door.
The two had no idea about the hole in their building until going through surveillance footage and seeing it for themselves.
“I went through the security cameras and I see everything on the videos,” Reyes Arreola said.
“When you saw what happened on the video, how surprised were you?" I asked Reyes Arreola.
"Really surprised," he answered. "I mean, surprised, mad, sad, everything at the same time.”
He was surprised to an extent because this is far from the first time this has happened. In fact, it's the fourth time in less than three years.
Video taken just last month shows another driver hopping the curb, hitting the front corner of the building. Another video from August 2024 shows a car hopping the curb, slamming into the guardposts without hitting a building. In 2023, a car traveled the same route, plowing into Dos Hermanos market, as seen from cameras inside the store.
“This curve, nobody can get it. They're just going straight,” Nicolas Arreola. "They just keep straight right here. I think they are just drunk or sleeping or something.”
The building that was hit Sunday was under construction to become an ice cream store, serving Mexican-style ice cream and snacks. It is owned by the brothers and will be operated by Nicolas Arreola's son. The project now has to be delayed due to the crash.
“We thought it would open in at least in a month, but with this thing, I don't know,” Nicolas Arreola said.
As the brothers fix the building, they are looking to put a concrete wall at the edge of the parking lot, thankful this time no one got hurt.
“Imagine if this happen during the day or a workday, it could kill someone or more than one person,” Reyes Arreola said.
Police say the crash from Sunday is still under investigation, but charges have been submitted against the suspect.
