Surveillance footage shows moments leading to deadly pursuit

NILES, Mich. - The situation started as a traffic stop - and quickly escalated. Before a chase broke out between 32-year-old Joshua Ringle and police, Ringle had been pulled over for a broken taillight and later, an active warrant. 

“We had a few managers on staff as normal. It was pretty close to our evening procedures of shutting things down. And a traffic stop started to happen what looked like in the front. They chose to our parking lot to pull over in,” Katie Lynch Lindgren, Brand Director for Green Stem said.

During the traffic stop, the state trooper on duty discovered Ringle had an active warrant for an assault charge. 

Surveillance footage, captured outside the Green Stem Cannabis Dispensary in Niles, appears to show Ringle wrestling with the trooper on the ground, hitting him repeatedly.

Ringle is then seen breaking away from him and getting back into his vehicle. 

At this point, the trooper deploys his taser, according to Michigan State Police.  

During the altercation, a woman is seen sitting on the passenger side of Ringle's vehicle. Video shows a bystander approach the car to check on her.

After the taser doesn't work, the trooper is seen holding what appears to be a gun.

According to MSP, he pulled out his gun after Ringle pulled out a gun himself. 

Upon being ordered to drop his gun, Ringle allegedly speeds away from the scene, starting the police chase.  

Lindgren says the incident has nothing to do with their business. 

“We want to make sure that anyone that is coming into Niles to shop knows that this is a safe area. This is just an unfortunate incident.”

Two MSP troopers in total were involved in the incident. In alignment with MSP policy, both have been put on administrative leave during the investigation.