OAK PARK, Mich. (FOX 2) – The viral footage from an arrest in Oak Park is only part of a story that unfolded in Metro Detroit on Monday after two detainees allegedly assaulted federal agents while in custody.
And one of the individuals remains at large after escaping police.Â
The backstory:
In the late afternoon of Nov. 17, both Oak Park and Berkley police received calls about a man running through a neighborhood while in handcuffs.Â
A caller told law enforcement the individual had been in the area of 10 Mile and Roanoke, prompting responses from police to canvass the area.Â
They later learned that two individuals who were in federal police custody were being transported when they assaulted an agent and escaped.Â
According to a statement by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, an agent had responded to ar request to assume custody of two people: a 28-year-old female and a 33-year-old male, both residents of Ecuador, who were staying in the country illegally.Â
While in custody, the male subject struck the agent before fleeing on foot.
Viral Video Context
A video posted on social media showed an agent with U.S. CBP looming over a woman on the ground.
The agent had subdued the female after deploying an electronic control device. The video, which spread online, continued by showing the officer wrestling the woman into the back of a white police cruiser.
She had an outstanding order to be removed from the country by an immigration judge, a statement from the CBP said.
A border agent used a stun gun on a 28-year-old detainee who was in the country illegally and ordered to be removed.Â
The latest:
Despite efforts between local police and the U.S. Border Patrol, as well as K-9 teams and the air division, the male suspect who fled police is still missing.
Some residents in the southern Oakland County communities remain on edge after seeing local police coordinate with federal law enforcement.
“I saw the police drive by with the lights on. I saw a bunch of SUVs blacked out windows, cruising up and down the neighborhood, which is a really quiet neighborhood,” said one resident who lives in Oak Park. “I don’t think they should assist — stay out of it.”
However, in statements from Berkley and Oak Park police, they said they have a “sworn duty to respond to calls that impact the safety” of the community.Â
“Oak Park Public Safety has a longstanding commitment to engagement, transparency and community policing—principles we will continue to uphold,” read a statement from the city manager of Oak Park.
“We want to reassure the community that BDPS routinely collaborates with surrounding local, state, and federal agencies in providing mutual aid across police, fire, and EMS operations,” read a statement from Berkley Police. “We understand and respect the concerns expressed by members of our community, and we remain committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all individuals we are sworn to protect and serve. We will continue to work cooperatively with other agencies while upholding all legal obligations and acting in the best interest of our community.”
What you can do:
If anyone observes the individual who was last seen wearing handcuffs, they’re asked to call police.
The Source: Statements from CBP, Berkley, and Oak Park, as well as interviews were cited for this story.Â