Brighton Man Arrested After Leading Oakland County Police on High-Speed Chase

This article was written and reported by Art Aisner.

A Brighton Township man remained in Oakland County Jail Thursday after leading police officers from multiple departments on a high-speed chase earlier this month.

William Smith, 48, faces one count of fleeing and eluding and another count of driving with a suspended license stemming from an Aug. 3 incident that started at the Andiamo’s restaurant in Bloomfield Township. Officers with the Bloomfield Township Police Department responded to a call about a suspicious vehicle in the restaurant parking lot at about 1 a.m. on Aug. 3 and found the vehicle with a man behind the wheel, according to a press release.

The driver appeared to be intoxicated, police said, and drove off as soon as the officers left their vehicles. The officers tried to block the parking lot exits, but the vehicle escaped onto southbound Telegraph Road. Bloomfield Township officers stopped chasing the vehicle at 14 Mile Road after they confirmed the plate and identity of the vehicle’s owner, the press release stated. Officers from the Franklin, Farmington Hills, and Novi police departments also pursued the vehicle in their jurisdictions, but did not stop it.

Officers requested a warrant and received assistance from the Michigan State Police Fugitive Apprehension Team in arresting Smith at his Brighton Township home Wednesday.

Smith’s remains in custody on $20,000 bond.