Crime & Safety
The Safest Elevator in All of Detroit
It's unclear why hotel elevator car stalled, but it may have been because the 16 cops stuffed in it exceeded the weight limit.
DETROIT, MI – An alert about 16 uniformed Detroit police officers who got stuck in a hotel elevator Tuesday read like a set-up to a riddle.
It wasn’t a joke.
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The officers were about to take the required test for promotions when the elevator stalled at the Atheneum Suite Hotel in downtown Detroit.
The officers were trapped in the elevator for about 30 minutes before emergency crews were able to free them, Detroit Police Officer Dan Donakowski told WWJ.
Find out what's happening in Dearbornfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
It’s unclear why the elevator stalled, but it may have been because collectively, the officers exceeded the car’s weight limit.
“I don’t know what the weight limit on that elevator is, but would think (that many) guys at around 200 pounds a piece might be what the problem is. I’m just speculating,” city spokesman Dan Austin told The Detroit News. “But we’re still looking into figuring out what exactly went on. It could have been a mechanical issue.”
An officer who was having difficulty breathing during the ordeal is OK, according to reports.
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