Two Escalades Stolen at Same Time From Benihana

Identical Vehicle Thefts

Police responded to two separate reports of vehicle thefts around 9:30 p.m. Feb. 5 at Restaurant.

In both cases, the stolen vehicles were white Escalades. The owners of the SUVs, who were unrelated except that they had both decided to eat at the same restaurant at the same time, both dropped off their vehicles at Benihana’s valet parking station–one at 9:30 and the other at 9:40.

According to valet attendants, it appeared as though after they parked the cars and hung up the keys on a board used for keeping track of valet vehicles, both sets of keys were taken and used to steal the Escalades.

Both vehicles had OnStar, which was used to try to locate them, although the first stolen vehicle was not recovered. The second was found parked on Forrer Street, south of Capitol in Detroit.

In both cases, no one was able to get a clear view of the drivers, and the manager of the restaurant reported that there were no surveillance cameras in the parking lot.

Similarly, in December 2010, from Benihana's parking lot within a week of one another.

Teens Ransack Unlocked Vehicles

At 4 a.m. Feb 6, Dearborn police responded to the intersection of Mead and Donald on the report that two young men were looking into vehicles.

Officers located the two teenagers around Kenilworth and Hemlock, but the teens ran south on Kenilworth when the squad car’s lights were shined on them.

The first teen was stopped while the other was still being pursued. He told police that they were at a friend’s house and walking home when they decided to steal things from unlocked vehicles parked on the street.

After the second teen was caught, the stolen items were recovered. The items included sunglasses, a knife, a cell phone charger, headphones and a small Palestinian flag. Both teens were placed under arrest for the thefts and for violating curfew. They were released to their parents a few hours later.

Woman Drinks, Drives, Flees, Gets Busted

While on patrol on Tireman Road around 7:20 a.m. Feb. 4, Dearborn police noticed a suspicious situation: A woman was driving her Ford Econoline van west in the eastbound lane with her headlights off.

The officers said they conducted a traffic stop and observed that the woman appeared nervous, with bloodshot eyes and slurred speech. She also did not have a driver’s license or state ID.

Police asked her if the vehicle was hers. She said it was her boyfriend’s, but that she didn’t know his name.

Police said as they were questioning her, she locked both her doors and pulled her window up, saying, “I don’t want to be arrested.” As one of the officers went to get a tool to gain entry to the van, the woman drove off heading south on Anthony and stopping at Morross Court, where she continued east on foot.

Police said they eventually tracked her down. She was arrested for eluding police and for operating a vehicle while intoxicated.