HOWELL, Mich. (WXYZ) — A woman jumped from an apartment window to escape an alleged assault in Howell Thursday morning, leaving her 2-year-old son behind with a man she claimed was armed and had assaulted her.
Watch Randy Wimbley's video report:
The incident occurred around 11 a.m. at the Pine Hills Apartments on Holly Hills Drive near Isbell Street, prompting a massive police response that included evacuating an entire apartment building.
Neighbor Dave Fordyce called 911 on the woman's behalf after witnessing her escape.
"Come to find out she was claiming that she was raped and the guy had a gun, her two-year-old son was trapped inside the apartment," Fordyce said.
Cell phone video captured the shirtless, barefoot woman screaming after she reportedly jumped from the apartment window to flee her attacker.
Livingston County Sheriff deputies and Howell police officers swarmed the building as neighbors watched the dramatic scene unfold.
"There was like nine cops outside holding guns and shields, and there was a truck over there and two cars over here," one neighbor said.
"They evacuated the building, from what I was told, then they had drones flying through the building looking for him, and also they had a sniper, maybe on this roof, to make sure if he came out-they had all kinds of long guns out," LJ Jackson said.
First responders detected a strong odor of gas from the building, prompting the fire department to shut off the gas supply as a precaution during the evacuation.
Police successfully rescued the 2-year-old boy through an open window of the apartment unit. However, when officers obtained a search warrant and entered the apartment, they found it vacant.
"Come to find out, evidently, the gentleman that allegedly did all this stuff left before the police got here, so he's still out running around," Fordyce said.
The Howell Police Department said there is no threat to the public at this time, but the investigation remains ongoing. Due to the active nature of the case, police are not releasing additional information.
The department thanked displaced residents and the property management team for their cooperation during the incident.
Multiple agencies assisted in the response, including the Livingston County Sheriff's Office, Livingston County Prosecutor's Office, Hamburg Township Department of Public Safety, Green Oak Township Police Department, Michigan State Police, LAWNET, Livingston County EMS, and the Howell Area Fire Department.
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