An 18-year-old was arrested and three others were detained after a police traffic stop ended near Saint Joseph Shrine.
DETROIT, MI — A Detroit priest helped stop a suspected car thief Monday evening after police said a stolen vehicle crashed near Saint Joseph Shrine, sending a young man running from the scene and leaving a woman injured in another car.
Reverend Canon Jean-Baptiste Commins was in the church parking lot when he heard tires squeal and a loud crash near Saint Aubin and Antietam streets. The case drew attention after Commins said he ran toward the crash, grabbed the fleeing suspect and held him with help from another church member until police arrived.
Detroit police said the crash followed an attempted traffic stop involving a vehicle believed to have been stolen. The driver crashed into another car outside the church area, police said. A woman in the other vehicle suffered injuries that were described as not life-threatening. Police arrested an 18-year-old suspect and detained three other people who had been in the vehicle. Officials had not released the suspect’s name or a full list of possible charges as the investigation continued.
Commins said he was outside the church Monday evening when the sound of the crash pulled his attention toward the street. He said he saw a young man running away with only one shoe on after someone nearby shouted for him to stop. “I grabbed him and put him down,” Commins said. He said the man resisted and kept trying to get away, forcing him to hold the suspect on the ground while another person from the church helped secure him. Commins was wearing clerical clothing at the time, making the scene stand out even more to people who later heard the account.
The priest said he did not know whether the suspect was armed when he caught him. He said he struck the young man during the struggle because he was trying to stop him from escaping and protect people nearby. Commins said his hand was hurt, but he described the injury as minor. After the suspect was under control, Commins said he turned his attention to the woman hurt in the crash. He said he went to her vehicle to see whether she needed a blessing or the Anointing of the Sick as medics responded.
The crash happened outside Saint Joseph Shrine, a Catholic church in Detroit’s Eastern Market area. The church sits near a busy mix of neighborhood streets, homes, businesses and parking lots. The priest’s account placed him in the parking lot just before the crash, close enough to hear the collision and reach the scene quickly. Police said the attempted traffic stop came before the collision, but officials had not released the exact route of the vehicle, the speed involved or where officers first tried to stop it.
The 18-year-old suspect was taken into custody after Commins and the other church member held him until officers arrived. Three other people were detained as police reviewed their roles in the incident. Investigators were still working to confirm details about the vehicle, including when and where it was reported stolen. Police also had not said whether the detained people would face charges. The injured woman’s condition was described as not life-threatening, and no other serious injuries were reported in the initial account.
Commins described the moments after the crash as fast and confusing. He said the suspect’s behavior looked suspicious because he ran from the crash scene and was missing a shoe. The priest said he wanted to make sure there was no further threat before police arrived. “He was resisting a lot, trying to run away,” Commins said. He later said he returned to his normal evening routine at the church, including prayers and dinner with the community. “Just another day in the D,” he said.
The case remained under investigation Thursday, June 4, with police still reviewing the stolen-vehicle report, the attempted stop and the crash near Saint Joseph Shrine. The next public step is expected to be a charging decision or further update from Detroit police and prosecutors.
Author note: Last updated Thursday, June 4, 2026.