Photo: @mspmetrodet on Twitter
Stealing is never justified, but contrary to popular opinion, a lot of people don’t understand this concept. People such as the thieves who stole a brand-new Corvette from a Chevrolet dealership in Novi on Thursday morning, a car that comes from the factory with satellite tracking.
According to Michigan State Police, the Detroit Regional Communication Center got a call from OnStar at 10:10 AM over a grand theft felony. The plate-less Corvette was first observed by the men and women in blue at 10:35 AM near the intersection of Gratiot Ave. and Outer Dr., which is why the driver floored it once the troopers activated their emergency lights.
The fleeing vehicle turned southbound on the I-75 Service Drive from Warren, side-swiping a van traveling south. The impact was too hard for the driver to regain control, with the Corvette bouncing off the van and crashing into multiple parked vehicles on the right side of the road. Both occupants fled on foot, and to no one’s surprise, the troopers eventually caught them.
No one reported any injuries, but the vehicle is a write-off by all accounts.
The front and rear passenger-side wheels broke off, the suspension system is most likely kaput as well, the rear bumper is no longer affixed to the vehicle, and police dash-cam footage also shows a lot of fluid on the road.
What boggles the mind the most about this unfortunate event is why the General Motors OnStar system didn’t receive the signal to disable the vehicle’s engine. This feature is called Stolen Vehicle Slowdown, and the fine print on OnStar’s website explains why the feature wasn’t activated.
Alas, the signal can be sent by an advisor only after an OnStar member has filed a police report and once authorities have confirmed conditions to be appropriate. Remote Ignition Block also needs a filed police report, which sort of defeats the purpose of saving the vehicle and apprehending the baddie(s).
The fleeing vehicle turned southbound on the I-75 Service Drive from Warren, side-swiping a van traveling south. The impact was too hard for the driver to regain control, with the Corvette bouncing off the van and crashing into multiple parked vehicles on the right side of the road. Both occupants fled on foot, and to no one’s surprise, the troopers eventually caught them.
No one reported any injuries, but the vehicle is a write-off by all accounts.
The front and rear passenger-side wheels broke off, the suspension system is most likely kaput as well, the rear bumper is no longer affixed to the vehicle, and police dash-cam footage also shows a lot of fluid on the road.
What boggles the mind the most about this unfortunate event is why the General Motors OnStar system didn’t receive the signal to disable the vehicle’s engine. This feature is called Stolen Vehicle Slowdown, and the fine print on OnStar’s website explains why the feature wasn’t activated.
Alas, the signal can be sent by an advisor only after an OnStar member has filed a police report and once authorities have confirmed conditions to be appropriate. Remote Ignition Block also needs a filed police report, which sort of defeats the purpose of saving the vehicle and apprehending the baddie(s).
Below is a twitter amount of dash cam and body cam video. Both videos were stopped before showing the face of the suspects, as they have not been charged with a crime. pic.twitter.com/eGyYH7QXBV
— MSP Metro Detroit (@mspmetrodet) July 15, 2021
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