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Man Tries to Stop Robbery, Wrecks Car

Posted on: Wednesday, 3 November 2004, 12:00 CST

WARREN, Mich. - A man trying to stop a robbery at a gas station ended up smashing a plate glass window, wrecking his car and fingering the wrong man. The suspect escaped, minus a shoe, and remains at large.

His insurance company says it won't pay for damage. Police say what he did was too risky. Even so, Michael Lonsway, 43, says he would do it again.

If people refused to get involved, "we'd have anarchy in our system," he told The Macomb Daily of Mount Clemens.

Lonsway had pulled into a Shell station Sunday when he saw a man run inside and dart behind the counter. Seconds later, an employee stepped back toward a window, hands held high.

Lonsway said he pulled his Pontiac Grand Prix within a few feet of the entrance, hoping to surprise the robber upon exit.

"First I just tried to pin him," Lonsway said. "He said, 'Come on, let me go!' I said, 'You ain't going anywhere.' That's when I floored it."

As the robber climbed across the hood of Lonsway's Pontiac Grand Prix, the vehicle plowed through a window, shattering the glass and knocking over merchandise.

The impact knocked the robber out of a shoe, and a fake pistol from his hand.

The robber fled, and Lonsway gave chase. He says he though he saw the robber drive off in a Cadillac and called police on his cell phone. It was someone else.

Authorities have a description of the robber and are pursuing leads.

Police say they don't advise people following Lonsway's example.

"We don't want civilians getting hurt," said Detective Sgt. Darcy Leutzinger. "The best thing to do if they see something in progress is to call us."

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Information from: The Macomb Daily, http://www.macombdaily.com

Source: Associated Press/AP Online

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