GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Court documents from a preliminary examination detail a confession from the suspect accused of firing at Grand Rapids Police Department (GRPD) officers after a traffic stop.
Saul Rodriguez, 18, is facing two counts of assault with intent to murder, two felony firearm counts and one count of carrying a concealed weapon in relation to the incident.
Rodriguez was arrested by police on the morning of Tuesday, March 5 after they obtained an arrest warrant on an unrelated carjacking charge.
GRPD investigators had been surveilling the home of Rodriguez's girlfriend and learned that he had been inside. After several callouts, GRPD said that he exited the home and was placed into custody.
Court documents detail an interview conducted by investigators with Rodriguez, stating that he admitted to detectives that he was the person who ran from police after the traffic stop and that he fired a shot at the ground while running, before dropping the gun.
A GRPD officer involved in the incident said that they believed Rodriguez fired between three and five shots at them and another officer during the chase.
A description of the suspect's gun by GRPD said it was a "tan in color Glock," a description matching a photo of a gun that Rodriguez had posted on social media.
The court documents also outline a Snapchat conversation with Rodriguez's brother where he wrote "Im gonna get attempt murder on a cop."
GRPD also interviewed Rodriguez's girlfriend, who told police that Rodriguez arrived at her house "several hours after the shooting" and told her that he had "done something bad" before eventually telling her that he had shot at the police.
The shooting took place after a traffic stop on March 2. Rodriguez ran from the backseat of a car GRPD was attempting to pull over just before 11:45 p.m. on S. Division Avenue, GRPD Chief Eric Winstrom said.
Two officers were in the police cruiser when they made the stop. After Rodriguez ran away, the body cam footage shows the two officers began chasing him eastbound into an alley.
Officers said the suspect ran between two houses on Horton Avenue and presented a semi-automatic handgun, firing multiple rounds at them. GRPD said both officers returned fire. The officers were not struck by any bullets.
The Michigan State Police are investigating the officer-involved shooting. As per procedure, the two involved officers are on administrative leave.
Winstrom hopes to see an increase in efforts to keep youth from committing crimes.
"I know there are so many adults in this city that are taking an interest in the youth of the city and making sure that this young man has some other stake in conformity to law, some other reason whether it's the arts, whether it's sports, whether it's academics, whether it's a job, young people like this, they need mentors," said Winstrom.
Rodriguez is being held on a $500,000 cash surety bond. His probable cause conference is scheduled for March 19 at 9 a.m. and a preliminary examination hearing is set for March 26.
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