By Jackie Smith
mlive.com
BATH TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Police body camera footage showing the pursuit of a knife-wielding home invasion suspect that prompted officers to fire their weapons has been released to the public.
Shortly before 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 12, two Bath Township police officers responded to a trespassing complaint in the 6000 block of Heathfield Drive and the report of a suspect walking through yards, attempting to break into cars.
Authorities initially approached the suspect after he was spotted walking into the garage of another nearby home in the 16000 block of Nichols Road , prompting a resident to call 911.
According to footage in a 16-minute video released Tuesday, July 15 , the suspect can be seen holding a knife to the homeowner’s neck before fleeing though neighborhood yards and two other homes, leading both responding officers to fire multiple shots amid a brief foot chase.
“He came up and slugged me in the head and started beating him,” a roommate tells one officer from the front porch of the Nichols Road home. Inside, the homeowner can be heard shouting, “He’s stabbing me,” and calling for help.
Once both officers arrived, they’re seen entering the Nichols Road residence to find the suspect, knife in hand, pulling the homeowner toward a side door, where he fled.
After verbal attempts to order the suspect to stop, the officers fired their first shots.
The suspect then ran east, crossing Nichols Road . In the body cam video, he is seen crossing a residential basketball court and walking toward another residence. With the individual still holding the knife and orders to halt ignored, additional shots were fired, and the suspect entered the home in 6000 block of English Oak Drive.
Police said the man locked the garage door behind him. Officers attempted to breach the residence’s front door with several kicks before the English Oak homeowner opened the door and left the residence. Moments later, the suspect fled once again through a slider door.
The suspect was caught in a neighboring garage, where he was tased and handcuffed by officers. The entire pursuit lasted roughly 10 minutes, according to the video.
The officers, who weren’t injured during the incident, identified several places in his torso that the suspect had been hit, donning gloves and tearing clothing away to ready first aid.
After EMS arrived, police said the officers checked the status of the roommate and homeowner of the Nichols residence. Their injuries were treated on scene, while the suspect was taken to a local hospital.
The suspect remained in stable condition as of late Tuesday, police said.
Both officers involved were placed on administrative leave after the weekend incident, as per policy for shootings where officers discharge their weapons. The Michigan State Police was handling the investigation of the shooting.
The suspect’s name had not been released as of Wednesday.
©2025 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit mlive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.