Man Shot by Michigan State Police Claimed 'Sovereign Citizen' Status

Updated. VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP, MI — A suspect was fatally shot by Michigan State Police Friday after allegedly brandishing a handgun at authorities, refusing to show his identification in a traffic stop and then leading police on a high-speed chase with speeds that reached 100 mph, according to media reports.

The man wasn't identified, but Lt. Michael Shaw of the State police said he was a white male. Police recovered a 9mm Glock semi-automatic handgun.

The drama unfolded about 12:38 p.m. when a state trooper puled over the black pickup in Taylor on a routine traffic stop and ended about 1 p.m. on Haggerty Road just outside of Lower Huron Metropark near the Detroit Metro Airport.

The suspect pulled over in the initial traffic stop, but refused to comply when the trooper asked for his license, saying that he was a sovereign citizen — a term used by some anti-government and anti-tax protesters who "often refuse to hold Social Security cards or driver's licenses," according to the USLegal.com website. The website says some people who claim sovereign citizen status "resort to violence" when courts and police challenge their behavior.

The driver refused to roll down his window and when the trooper broke the pickup window to arrest him, he sped off and led police on a half-hour pursuit that turned into a foot chase near the gates of Lower Huron Metropark near Detroit Metro Airport, according to the Detroit Free Press.

When he exited the vehicle, the suspect allegedly ran into a wooded area, then turned and took a shooting stance, Shaw told The Detroit News. Two troopers fired on the suspect, striking him in the side, and he died later at a hospital. It's unclear if the suspect ever fired his weapon.

One trooper sustained a dislocated thumb while attempting to box in the suspect's vehicle, Shaw said.

The troopers involved in the shooting are 12- and 8-year veterans of the Michigan State Police. No outside agencies will be investigating the shooting, Shaw said.

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