DETROIT — A 23-year-old man is under arrest after he allegedly livestreamed a police chase on Facebook, and capped the video by driving his truck directly into a police cruiser.
Two Detroit police officers have been hospitalized after a chase that was livestreamed overnight on the city's east side.
Detroit police say that about 2:30 a.m. Friday morning, a 23-year-old man went live on Facebook and told people watching the stream that he was going to see if he could get in a police chase.
The suspect — while still recording on Facebook live — began driving erratically. Video shows him running a red light and driving on the wrong side of the road. Officers with the Macomb County and Warren pursued the suspect but quickly lost him.
All the while, commenters on Facebook pleaded with the suspect to pull over and surrender to police.
Eventually, Detroit police officers spotted the red pickup truck, activated their lights and began pursuing the suspect. Video shows the suspect told his Facebook followers that he wanted to see if his truck was faster than police cruisers.
A few moments later the suspect abruptly made a U-turn and drove directly at police, head-on.
The suspect's truck plowed into the passenger's side of the police car, causing airbags to deploy fully.
Facebook Live video shows the suspect fled the scene briefly and returned to the site of the crash a few moments later.
The suspect was arrested for felonious assault of a police officer and reckless driving. He was taken to the Detroit Detention Center for processing and refused medical treatment.
Both officers complained of knee pain and were taken to a nearby hospital.
The case remains under investigation.
This story was originally published by WXYZ in Detroit.
