Father, Son Duo Stop Attempted Shooting at Dearborn Police Station

DEARBORN — Douglas Berry doesn't consider himself a hero, but to the officers at the Dearborn Police Station, Berry and his son Patrick are just that.

The duo happened to be at the right place at the right time on Saturday when they noticed a man break into the police car lot.

Berry said his son is autistic and loves trains, so he often takes Patrick to the Dearborn Amtrak station to watch the trains go by.

Saturday's trip was different, however, when the pair spotted a suspicious person around 6:45 p.m. lurking near the police department's vehicle lot adjacent to the train station.

Berry told the Detroit Free Press that the man, who has not yet been identified by law enforcement officials, was pacing near the gate staring at the police cars.

"He went to his car, opened the trunk, got a rifle case, went back to the gate and shimmied underneath," Berry said.

That's when Berry sprung into action and called 911.

The man was arrested after police found him lying underneath a patrol car next to a loaded .30 caliber Winchester rifle. According to police, the suspect had wished to commit suicide by engaging officers in a shootout. 

"Tips from our residents are invaluable to our department," chief Ronald Haddad said. "In this case police were able to act quickly and prevent a tragedy."

The suspect was taken to an area hospital for psychiatric evaluation.

Haddad said citizen tips were also used recently during a state-wide manhunt to apprehend Lavere Bryant, the suspect charged in the homicides of Family Dollar employees Brenna Machus and Joseph Orlando.

"Both of these cases demonstrate the importance of working with our community," Haddad said. "In the Family Dollar investigation, we received more than 150 tips from our residents that helped lead detectives to apprehend a suspect."

Haddad said members of the Dearborn Police Department personally thanked Berry and Patrick for their heroic actions on Saturday.