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Men arrested after wild chase in stolen U-Haul

Posted at 6:29 PM, Feb 29, 2016
and last updated 2016-02-29 18:30:53-05

Video from a police dash camera shows the early morning chase of the driver of a stolen U-Haul truck.

The chase began on I-94 near 23 Mile in Macomb County on February 24 at around 1:50 a.m. and continued for miles.

Macomb County Sheriff's deputies joined the pursuit westbound on the freeway near Hall Road.

A Michigan State Police trooper had tried unsuccessfully to pull the driver of the U-Haul over for equipment violations.

"Our deputies were able to successfully deploy some stop stick and got some of the tires deflated on the U-Haul," said Lt. John Michalke of the Macomb County Sheriff's office.

But it did not deter the two men in the stolen U-Haul. As the tires shredded away they continued on rims - with sparks occasionally flying.

The driver of the U-Haul eventually exited the freeway and wound up on Lakeshore Drive in Grosse Pointe Shores.

That's when the deputy intentionally hit the U-Haul causing the driver to lose control. He left the roadway and crashed into a tree before coming to a stop. The driver and his passenger quickly gave themselves up.

"We were lucky the traffic was light, traffic patterns permitted us to pursue the vehicle because everybody's safety is paramount. So, in this case, we were able to bring it to a successful conclusion," Michalke told 7 Action News. 

Two police cars were damaged in the chase. Two state troopers and one Macomb County Sheriff's deputy suffered injuries. They were treated and released from the hospital shortly after the incident.

Twenty-four-year old Danny Lee Crowder III of Taylor was arraigned on multiple felony charges on February 25.