Cops find southwest Detroit home empty after stake out

Holly Fournier | The Detroit News

Detroit — After a nearly 12-hour standoff between barricaded robbery suspects and police, no one appeared to be in the house where the suspects were thought to be holed up on Wheelock in southwest Detroit.

Redford and Michigan State Police had been staking out the house in the 1000 block of Wheelock following a robbery of a woman at a Redford Township motel early Monday morning.

At least two, and possibly three suspects, were believed to have fled the robbery and ended up at the home near Interstate 75 and Springwells. One suspect surrendered from the home in the morning and was turned over to Redford police.

For hours, police attempted to negotiate with the other suspect or suspects believed to still be in the house, but they got no response. Police entered the home around 2:30-3 p.m. — but no one was inside.

“We are still actively trying to locate the suspects in this dwelling,” Michigan State Police Lt. Calvin Hart told reporters around 4 p.m. “No suspect has been located in this particular dwelling. We do have one individual that did surrender. So this is ongoing. We are still attempting to clear the dwelling to make sure any hiding spaces are properly searched.”

The scene at one point involved at least 12 State Police cruisers in position at Lafayette, a tactical truck, a bomb squad and a canine unit from the Bay City Police Department. Police advised neighbors to stay inside their homes as officers used explosions devices to get the suspects to respond.

It also led to the lockdown of nearby Roberto Clemente Academy. Parents came and picked up their children.

Earlier in the afternoon, Principal Maria Hernandez-Martinez said, “The students are safe.”

Asked how to respond to concerns that there might be armed robbers still in the community, Hart said police were doing everything they can.

“It still remains a concern that they are not in this house,” Hart said. “(We wanted to) make sure that the community is safe. That’s why we took every step here today.”

HFournier@detroitnews.com

(313) 223-4616

@HollyPFournier