Highland Park councilman goes on profanity-laced rant after drunken arrest in April

HIGHLAND PARK, Mich. (FOX 2) - A Highland Park city councilman already in hot water for a drunk driving arrest in early April used curse words and ranted during the city's weekly meeting Tuesday night.

Khursheed Ash-Shafii dared people to try to remove him from his post, telling the council chambers "I don't give two **** if a person likes me or doesn't like me."

The backstory:

On April 7, the councilman was arrested after refusing to take a breathalyzer at the scene of a crash where police suspected he had been drunk while driving.

Ash-Shafi was involved in a crash on Hamilton Avenue late at night. When police arrived, he told officers he did not have insurance or registration. Bodycam footage shows police telling Ash-Shafi if he refuses to take the breathalyzer test, it will result in a $200 civil infraction.

A police report notes officers smelled alcohol before finding an open bottle of liquor in Ash-Shafi's vehicle. 

He also became aggressive toward police while being taken to Henry Ford Hospital. He later complied with officer's orders and was taken to Highland Park jail.

He faces charges four charges including resisting an officer, obstructing police, operating while under the influence of alcohol, and driving with a suspended license.

Local perspective:

On Tuesday night, Ash-Shafi spoke during a Highland Park city council meeting where the district 3 representative went on a profanity-laced rant directed at anyone hoping he may step down following the arrest.

"In case you don't recognize who I am, in case you don't see the rage behind the face that you're looking at here, you want me to move? You want me to step down? Make me step down," he said during the meeting.

He added "granted, the news hasn't been pretty. But anybody who can't see this for the setup that it is, is a flipping idiot."

Ash-Shafi said he would not be resigning the position "until my term is up or until the lord calls me back."

Khursheed Ash-Shafii speaks during a city council meeting Tuesday night.