EMPIRE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — An 82-year-old man was arrested after he drove his SUV into a Michigan State trooper because he was upset the road he wanted to travel on was closed.
Two troopers from the Sault St. Marie Post were working a traffic point at the intersection of Plowman Road and M-72 in Leelanau County just before 10:30 a.m. Sunday when the incident happened.
According to a release, a man was driving a SUV passenger car when he encountered one of the troopers at a partially barricaded traffic point.
When the trooper told the driver that the roadway's eastbound lane was temporarily closed due to heavy bike traffic from the Ironman 70.3 Triathlon, the man became angry.
He allegedly began yelling obscenities at the trooper. The trooper then repeatedly told the man to turn his vehicle around. The driver did not follow those commands. When the trooper turned his back to the driver's vehicle, the 82-year-old allegedly honked his horn and drove into the trooper's legs.
The trooper stumbled and another trooper in the area came over to assist. The driver of the SUV was arrested and is now at the Leelanau County Jail awaiting arraignment.
