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Man seen forcing woman into van in Detroit taken into custody

By Jack Nissen
Published  December 28, 2022 1:38pm EST
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 2 Detroit

Man in custody after forcing woman into van in Detroit

Detroit police have arrested a man seen on video forcing a woman into a van in an alley. They have also contacted the victim and offered her resources because police say this was a domestic situation, not a random abduction.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Detroit police say the man seen in a video assaulting a woman before forcing her into a van and driving away has been arrested and could face domestic violence charges.

Both individuals in the video, which quickly spread on social media after being posted last Monday, are a relationship, police said. "It was not a stranger abduction," said Assistant Chief David LeValley.

"It appears it was a domestic dispute between individuals who were in a multi-year relationship. An argument took place and it seems the victim had exited the vehicle and was walking in an alley near Eight Mile and Schoenherr. That's where the video image was captured," LeValley said. 

Police said the video was first posted on social media before being authorities saw the clip. In it, a woman who is walking down an alley is approached from behind by a moving van. When it stops, a man gets out and assaults the woman, slamming her into the side of the vehicle. 

He then forces her into the van, before getting back in and speeding away.

The two had been at a party when an argument broke out, LeValley said. 

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The suspect, a 32-year-old man, has been arrested for previous domestic violence issues but has never been convicted. The victim was identified as a 39-year-old woman who suffered minor injuries to her face during the assault. 

The incident happened on Dec. 25 shortly after 5 p.m. Police began investigating a day later and quickly identified both involved and the vehicle. It had been rented by a third party for moving and had been borrowed by the suspect.