MONROE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — A Detroit man was arrested out of state Monday after he allegedly assaulted several people in Monroe Township and tried to flee from deputies.
The incident happened around 2:30 p.m. at the Michigan Welcome Center in Monroe Township near northbound I-75.
The sheriff’s office said Monroe County Central Dispatch received calls about a suspect grabbing several males by the genitals in the welcome center bathroom.
The suspect, a 32-year-old man, is accused of physically and sexually assaulting an 80-year-old man from Melvindale in the lobby and dragging him into the bathroom.
Authorities say witnesses and other people at the welcome center stepped in, and the suspect left the scene on foot. They say he crossed the northbound lanes of I-75 to a car parked on the southbound median shoulder.
Several deputies responded to the scene and the suspect was found in a silver Chevrolet Impala.
The suspect took off south as deputies pursued him. The Erie Township Police Department joined the chase, which crossed the Ohio border.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said the suspect’s car ran out of gas near I-280 and he was taken into custody without further incident.
Police in Toledo assisted and took the suspect to the Lucas County Jail. Local authorities said the suspect will be extradited back to Michigan, where he faces several charges involving assault and fleeing and eluding.
The suspect’s identity is being withheld pending arraignment.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident. Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 734-240-7530.
