Officers fire shots at suspect after chase in Buchanan Township

BUCHANAN TOWNSHIP, Ind.--- It was about seven in the morning Tuesday when the commotion in Buchanan Township started.

"We heard sirens and of course police cars," said neighbor Jeffery Bailey.

"There were sirens everywhere, and people calling us to see if we are okay because we're pretty much on a dead-end street," said neighbor Nancy Kasten.

According to Michigan State Police, a Buchanan Police officer responded to a call for an erratic driver at about 7 a.m. Tuesday. When they attempted to stop the driver, who was in a Chevy pickup, they sped away from the scene. A chase ensued, and eventually, a Berrien County squad car joined the chase. It ended where Lakeview Drive, which runs along Clear Lake, dead ends.

The suspect backed up his pickup truck, which police discovered to be stolen, and slammed into both squad cars. Both officers in those vehicles fired their weapons at the suspect at this point, but he fled on foot unharmed into the woods.

It didn't take long for a K-9 officer to find the 33-year-old, and he now sits behind bars at the Berrien County Jail, facing charges of resisting and obstructing a police officer, fleeing and eluding police, and possession of a stolen vehicle.

During all of this, there were no injuries to the suspect or the police officers.

Both officers who fired their weapons are on paid leave while the incident is under investigation, and eventually, a report will make its way to the Berrien County Prosecutor's Office.

"It's the most excitement we've had around this area since last year's Fourth of July fireworks," Bailey said.