A West Bloomfield Township man who police say purposely backed a stolen car into a 7-Eleven store after they spotted him following a Flock camera alert is jailed on $50,000 cash bond.
Kevin Joyce, 31, appeared in Ferndale 43rd District Court on Monday for a hearing, which was delayed.
After getting an alert from the Flock camera system May 3 that a stolen 2018 Chevrolet had entered the city, patrol officers searched for it, said Evan Ahlin, police communications liaison.
“They located (the car) backed into a parking spot at the 7-Eleven at Pinecrest and West Nine Mile Road,” Ahlin said. “The officer noticed it was backed into a parking spot and unoccupied.”
Two officers in separate patrol vehicles watched the stolen vehicle.
Joyce emerged from the store and got in the driver’s seat, police said.
The pair of officers used their cars to block Joyce in at about 11:45 p.m. May, Ahlin said.
“Once the officers made contact,” Ahlin said, “Mr. Joyce tried to flee the scene and put the car in reverse.”
The suspect crashed the vehicle into the 7-Eleven story, police said.
Ahlin said officers pinned the suspect in out of a concern for the safety of bystanders.
The suspect exited the stolen vehicle and ran away, but was caught following a short foot chase about 20 yards away.
Joyce was arraigned in Ferndale District Court on May 6.
He is charged with receiving and concealing a stolen motor vehicle and third-degree fleeing and eluding, both five-year felonies.
Joyce also faces misdemeanor charges of reckless driving, resisting and obstructing police, and driving on a suspended license.
The suspect has a criminal record and is currently on probation in Oakland County following convictions last year for first-degree retail fraud and larceny in a building, according to Michigan Department of Corrections records.
The terms of his probation require him to undergo drug testing and undergo outpatient treatment for substance abuse.
Joyce’s next hearing is set for May 20 in Ferndale court.
Flock traffic cameras were set up in Ferndale last year as part of a pilot program. The cameras have an automated license plate reader (ALPR).
Photos taken of license plates are used for a range of law enforcement functions, from identifying stolen or wanted vehicles and missing persons to gathering information on active warrants, finding suspects and recovering stolen property.
Other nearby police agencies using the system include Hazel Park, Southfield, Madison, Heights, Troy, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department and Michigan.
Back in late March, Flock cameras in Ferndale led to the traffic stop and arrest of a man suspected of holding up a 7-Eleven store on Feb. 28 with a knife. It was the same store where Joyce was found in the stolen Chevrolet.
No estimate is yet available on the damage caused when the stolen vehicle struck the store early this month, police said.