Man attempts to stab police officer before dying from self-inflicted stab wounds; had history of similar incident

By Scott Bolthouse
The Huron Hub – Nov. 12, 2020
ScottBolthouse@HuronHub.com

A man with a history of a similar incident died from self-inflicted stab wounds on Saturday, Nov. 7 in the parking lot of Chapps Landing Travel Center, 35777 South Huron Road.

Police say the 48-year-old Canton man struggled briefly with officers before taking his own life by stabbing himself in the chest multiple times.

An officer received minor injuries during the incident and was treated at a local hospital.

Huron Township Department of Public Safety Dispatch received a call regarding a man and woman fighting inside a vehicle near one of the gas pumps at 11:04 a.m.

A Huron police officer assigned to the Traffic Services Unit working traffic enforcement on I-275 near South Huron Road was on the scene within 30 seconds, said Everette Robbins, director of public safety.

The officer observed a struggle occurring in the vehicle between the man and woman and immediately intervened.

The man exited the vehicle with a large knife in his hand, and after a brief struggle, the suspect attempted to stab the officer and then attempted to flee the area on foot.

The Huron Township K-9 Unit responded within 20 seconds of the initial officer’s arrival on scene.

The second officer immediately took the suspect to the ground as he attempted to flee.

The suspect again brandished the knife and officers backed away and attempted to get him to drop the weapon.

The suspect then stabbed himself multiple times in the chest area.

Officers were able to secure the suspect, remove the weapon from his possession, and begin life-saving efforts.

Paramedics with the Huron Township Fire Department and Huron Valley Ambulance responded and continued with life-saving efforts, but the suspect was pronounced dead from the self-inflicted stab wounds.

The officer who was injured during the initial struggle received minor injuries from the knife and was treated at a local hospital.

“Our dispatch staff did a terrific job of getting every bit of information they could from the 911 callers and getting it our quickly to area patrol staff. They never get the credit they deserve for getting our police and fire first responders to the scene quickly and safely,” Robbins said. “I am so proud of the teamwork displayed between responding officers and fire staff. They quickly transitioned from addressing a threat to making life-saving efforts.”

The Huron Township Police Department Detective Bureau and Evidence Technician Unit responded to handle the investigation and process the crime scene for evidence.

After the on-scene investigation, the man’s remains were transported to the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office.

An investigation revealed that the suspect was currently on GPS tether for a similar incident and was released from a jail outside Huron’s jurisdiction 24 hours prior to this incident.

Sumpter Township police, Canadian Pacific Railroad police, Huron Township Fire Department and Huron Township Police Reserve Unit assisted throughout the day with scene security and traffic control.

“Our investigation indicated that the initial struggle inside the vehicle between the man and woman was a fight over the large knife. Our female victim was without question fighting for her life. There is no doubt in my mind that our officer’s quick response and intervention likely saved her life. We were extremely fortunate that we had officers not only in a good position to respond quickly, but also willing to place themselves in harm’s way to stop the threat. I am extremely proud of them,” Robbins said. “We appreciate the patience and assistance of the owners of Chapp’s Landing as well as Burger King throughout our investigation. This was a random incident that was out of their control and should be no reflection on either business.”