Two central Michigan men — one of whom allegedly fled to Texas and Mexico after an armed robbery — were arrested after leading police on a car chase through multiple counties, officials said.
A detective with the Ionia County Sheriff’s Office at about 11 p.m. Monday received a tip the wanted suspect had returned to the county, authorities said. A tipster told the detective the suspect was driving a GMC Yukon and provided him with the license plate number, they said.
Investigators believed the suspect was traveling to his mother’s home in Ionia and sheriff’s deputies positioned themselves to intercept the SUV, police said. They spotted the vehicle on East Lincoln Avenue and tried to pull the Yukon over. However, the suspect driver fled through the city of Ionia and onto a highway to Montcalm County.
Additional law enforcement officers joined the chase on various back roads, they said. The Yukon then traveled toward Greenville where the city’s police department took over the pursuit, officials said.
They followed the suspect vehicle into Kent County where local sheriff’s deputies deployed devices near Northland Drive to puncture the Yukon’s tires. The devices were effective, the vehicle stopped and several people exited the Yukon and ran away, police said.
Authorities searched the area on foot and used a drone to find and arrest everyone who was in the Yukon, they said.
During questioning, the SUV’s driver admitted he knew one of his passengers was wanted for armed robbery, police said. He also told investigators he was a parolee himself and was afraid of being arrested for associating with a crime suspect, they said.
Officials said three other passengers in the Yukon, a 19-year-old woman, a 17-year-old male, and a 22-year-old man, are not being charged. The three are Ionia residents. Police also said all the people who were in the Yukon are related to each other.
Police said the SUV’s driver, Diego Luis Bowerman, 21, of Ionia, was charged with fleeing and eluding police and parole violation. He was arraigned Tuesday in 64-A District Court in Ionia on a charge of third-degree fleeing and eluding police, according to court records.
A judge set his bond at $30,000 and scheduled his next court hearing for Jan. 13, 2025. Officials said he is currently being held at the Ionia County Jail.
Police said the passenger wanted on an armed robbery warrant from Kent County, Enrique Vazquez, 22, also of Ionia, has yet to be formally charged. He was taken to the Kent County Jail.
cramirez@detroitnews.com
X: @CharlesERamirez
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