Courtesy photo

Police are pursuing a felonious assault charge against a 24-year-old Belleville man who they say intentionally rammed his SUV into a pickup truck because someone made off with his lunchbox in Saline last week.

The man had just left the Faurecia plant and was headed eastbound on East Michigan Avenue just before 3 p.m. June 19 when his lunchbox, which he'd forgotten he had placed on top of his SUV, fell off the roof and into roadway, said Saline police Sgt. Jay Basso.

A pickup truck driven by a 21-year-old Onsted man headed in the opposite direction stopped when the occupants saw the lunch pail fall off the SUV, police said. The passenger, a 19-year-old Brooklyn man, hopped out and snatched it up. The pickup truck continued westbound while the 24-year-old in the SUV quickly gave chase, Basso said.

“He thought they were stealing it and did a U-turn and tried to catch up with the other vehicle,” he said.

The pickup truck turned into the driveway at the nearby Briarwood Ford car dealership, located at 750 E. Michigan Ave. The 24-year-old in the SUV followed and intentionally slammed his SUV into the pickup on the driver's side between the door and the fender, totaling both vehicles, Basso said.

The 24-year-old needed to be taken to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, where he was treated and released. The Brooklyn man had some minor injuries and was treated on the scene.

The lunchbox contained between $50 to $60 and green tea caffeine pills.



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John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.