On July 26th, 2024, police in Midland City, Michigan were advised over the radio about a possible felonious assault involving a motor vehicle. Central, I have a city car with lights on heading west bound. Do we check that? Just verify. 693, I checked west bound, didn't see anything. Chevy check west bound. 187 Central. All right. I've got that car heading the wrong direction up Indian. Uh towards Saginaw Road, no lights on. He just crashed out. Copy, where? Near the circle on Patrick. Looks like he's maybe still going past Saginaw. An anonymous caller reported Barrett Carpenter was driving recklessly and had attempted to run someone over. Midland City police, who are very familiar with Barrett, checked the area he lives in. It didn't take long before officers located Barrett's vehicle. >> 1 Kendrick watch. Uh I had a foot bail, someone just bailed out. He rolled. I'm out with the uh one that jumped out, checking on him. Other one is bailing across Washington. Copy, do you have a description? I don't know what's wrong with the motorist. I really don't know. Why is he like that? It's He's going through the parking lot at DHHS, heading toward Las Vegas. What's that? Yeah, go after him cuz he's he's driving hella reckless. Last seen eastbound from on Patrick from Las Vegas. You all right, man? I don't I just wanted out of the car. I kept screaming to stop, dude. I'm shaking so bad right now. >> It's that vehicle from the BOL from the county. >> okay? Please tell me my back's all right. Yeah, you got road rash, man. I'm going to have an ambulance coming for you. I don't have insurance, man. It doesn't matter. You're going to get checked out. This is a criminal offense. I'm I'm not going to get like uh like uh a bill from them? No. 187 central, start an ambulance for this gentleman fell out of the vehicle. >> out, bro. I didn't want this to happen. Affirm, bad road rash, back injury. Can I get to sit down somewhere you can check me out on the ground? >> go up here. Let's go up here, bud. You're fine. Why did he have to do this? Is my head bleeding? Is my head okay? Please tell me my head's okay. I don't see your head bleeding, bud. What happened what happened down at the down at the Somebody got dropped off and he tried to run someone over? No, I don't know about nothing with the kid. >> Aspen Road? >> The kids wanted to talk to the dad and he didn't want to talk to him and he just kept flooring it past him and he yelled something. I kept telling Derek to stop and he wouldn't stop and I kept telling him slow down and he wouldn't slow down and he just I was screaming at him to go. I wanted out of the car as soon as I seen you. Like yo, just stop with me, yo. You all right, bud? I just wanted out of the car. I didn't want to be in trouble. I don't want him in trouble. He got my shades over there so they don't get run over. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, it looks like you've lost a lens. I'm not clearing any of this. Are they still mobile or on foot? I'm out with a passenger that was thrown from the vehicle in the Kmart parking lot. Vehicle continued westbound on Patrick last seen from Lasco's. Did I do the wrong thing for like jumping out? No. >> I supposed to do, man? Right. >> on that. You need assistance over there? No, I'm all set over here. Can I have my date, please? Yeah, do you have it with you? >> I think so. I don't know for sure. >> is this? It's an older Crown Vic. It's one that we've had some contacts with recently. Car is pending cover, please. Did I do the right thing? I wouldn't jump from a moving vehicle, bud, but if you felt scared in there, then that's that's on you. No, stay with him. Yeah. Who Who's driving that vehicle? Barrett Carpenter. Okay. 187 to other units. My passenger is confirming driver was Barrett Carpenter. As officers are interviewing and tending to the unwilling passenger's injuries, other officers locate Barrett's unoccupied vehicle. 69 Central, I've got the vehicle at Lincoln Park Apartments. Same car. I'm here with the vehicle at Lincoln Park Apartments. Vehicle's empty. Copy. I'll be over there in just a sec. Vehicle's fucked up and empty. It's all fucked up. It's on the rims, both sides on passenger. You guys see him in there? No, he's not in there. I just checked, so. Okay. I assume he's probably in one of these or parked over there and he's going to be in one of those, so. Do we know what place he goes to? I have no idea. Hi. Hi there. Do you know Barrett Carpenter? Pardon me? Do you know a Barrett Carpenter? Um I do. Okay. Is he here right now? He doesn't live here. Okay. Do you know where he lives? Um his dad lives in the first building up front. Do you know Do you know his apartment number? He just moved here. I do not. Okay. But I know if you go through the hallway um if you go through that hallway right there in the middle, I think it's the second door on the right. I'm not positive. >> Underground floor. Underground floor. Yeah. Okay. Thank you so much. He took a pretty good tumble, probably 20-30 mph out of the passenger seat. Yeah. Yeah, tuck and roll. He said I'm out of here, right? Yeah. Yeah. So, I was just going to check, so I'll circle into the a park the parking lot to see if he'd made it home. I just pulled out and was pulling into the service station on the corner, and I hear and I look as I'm like as I'm turning like to face back toward Bayless, that's when I saw him. And he had just like his running lights on. You know, with the Crown Vic, the yellow lights, not the headlights. What's What's the gist of down there? Was he trying to run someone over or They were supposed to pick somebody up there, I think. The one that's home or something like that. So, he dropped the bag off. The dad wanted to talk to him. He didn't I mean, that was close to him, like on the side of the car, but he wasn't like where he had to jump out of the way trying to hit him. But he was he driving like that in the parking lot? Okay. So, he was driving all crazy during this child exchange or whatever? Yeah. Call the office, see if we can't get an address. Do we know who the apartment is for me? No idea. Knowing Barrett can't be far, officers and deputies request a K9 team from the Michigan State Police. Roughly 30 minutes after abandoning his vehicle, the K9 team arrives and immediately begins tracking Barrett. After a dark 15-minute track through the fields near Barrett's apartment, Barrett is located and taken into custody. Watch him. Get ready. All right. HEY, LET ME SEE YOUR FUCKING I'M NOT MOVING. WE GOT HIM ACROSS STREET. WE GOT HIM ACROSS STREET. YEAH, BUDDY. CAN I COME OUT? LET ME SEE YOUR HANDS. >> [snorts] >> GOOD BOY. WATCH HIM, BUDDY. Watch him. You're going to get bit. Get out here now. GET ON THE GROUND. GET ON THE GROUND. GET ON THE GROUND. Face down. Get on the ground right now. Lay down face down. Put your hands behind your back. Yes. All right. Roll over. Roll over this way. Put your knees in front of you. I'm going to pick you up, all right? All right. Let's go. Uh bomb sniffing dog in my car. My car. I'm on the 169 team. I think they picked you up in jail this time, Barrett. All right, let's go. Hurry. Good. I hope he goes to prison. That'll work. So, your son has made a lot of bad choices again tonight. Well, there was some sort of altercation down out in the county. Huh? Out in the county down on Ashby Road. So, he was in his vehicle driving all crazy reckless. He came into the city, rounded the corner down here coming off Lyon up Bayless. No lights on just like what you see right there. Squealing the tires. Saw Huh? It's on your vehicle. I'm seizing it for improper plate because he put it on his vehicle. Okay? He turned down the wrong way on uh Patrick here. Went headlong with traffic that way. Crashed into a curb down there almost rolled it. Turned northbound on Saginaw Road. Turned into the old Kmart parking lot. He had a passenger with him. Passenger was so scared he bailed out of the vehicle in the Kmart parking lot. And then Barrett continued to drive all the way to here on two flat tires sitting on the rims. So, he's looking at some good charges tonight. His uh his friend the passenger in there said uh basically that he was drinking and driving and all that sort of stuff, too. So. I'll have to check with my sergeant, but he put your plate off this vehicle on the back of that one, which is an improper plate misdemeanor. We typically seize those. He bailed out right in front of my car, so I stopped to check on him and Barrett kept driving, took off. Oh, yeah, I had to. He bailed out of the car and rolled. Shoes went all over the place. Well, it wasn't me driving, so. Hey. Yeah. So, he didn't touch you at all, right? He didn't touch you or anything? I'm going to be honest, no. Okay. That was a That's a good dog. All right, you're good. Thank you. All right, let's go. I don't know. Can I understand why they're like threatening me with prison? Well, you committed a felony tonight, bud, so that's why you're >> Well, I wasn't driving. That's fine. Hop in. Face the inside of the car for me real quick. Put your hands out this way. All right. Put your hands behind your back. I'm not going to transport him over to somebody else's car. Yep. Do we need to do anything with OWI or no? How drunk is he? Do you smell it on him or I'll tell you in a second. Let me just get my paperwork done. Okay. That's his choice. This is a breathalyzer thing, so. Okay. He was He said I was screaming wanting out the whole way from down out in the county to here. I was not driving, dude. Why am I in What's your first name? Barrett Carpenter. That's all I need to hear. Make better decisions next time, man. >> Yep. Timothy already said you were driving, so. It's your vehicle, you know to drive it. We know you were driving it, all that sort of stuff. So, yeah. We won't follow the OWI cuz it's going to be a SW anyway. No. Friend said he was drinking, but hell, he's been running around sweating. He probably sweated it off. Yeah. You're going to jail for felony charges. Felony charges, lots of them. Yep. Some felonies, some misdemeanors, a lot of bad decisions. Want to walk through the garage door there. Let's go walk. In front of that door. Barrett initially stood mute and pleaded not guilty. He was held on a $500,000 bond and was charged with fleeing eluding law enforcement third degree, assault with a dangerous weapon, aggravated [music] assault, reckless driving, operation of a motor vehicle without securities, driving while license suspended, revoked, or denied, unlawful use of a license plate, and operating an unregistered vehicle. Barrett eventually took a plea deal where he pleaded guilty to fleeing eluding third degree, aggravated assault, reckless driving, and operation of a motor vehicle without securities. In turn, the DWLS, unlawful use of a license plate, and operating an unregistered vehicle charges were dismissed. >> [music] >> According to a records request with the Midland County Sheriff's Office, deputies either did not complete an investigation into the alleged felonious assault or no victim came forward. Because of this, the felonious assault charge was not prosecuted. On January 23rd, 2025, Barrett was sentenced to 180 days in the Midland County Jail with credit for 158 days time served, followed by 3 years of probation. After his release, Barrett violated his probation by consuming alcohol. He was sentenced to an additional 6 days in jail and ordered to attend daily AA meetings.