DEARBORN, Mich. (WXYZ) — A Dearborn man was arrested Monday after leading multiple police departments on high-speed chases for more than two days while driving a semi truck.
Ali Ahmed Zbib, 55, was arraigned Wednesday on multiple charges including domestic violence assault, malicious destruction of property, and fleeing and eluding.
The incident began Saturday morning on Argyle Street in Dearborn during a domestic violence call. Zbib fled to a nearby banquet hall parking lot, got into a semi truck, and evaded police for the next two days.
During the initial pursuit, Zbib rammed an occupied police vehicle with the semi truck, setting off a chase that lasted approximately 15 minutes in the early hours of Saturday.
RAW VIDEO: Police chase semi with driver wanted in a domestic case
Dashboard camera footage captured Dearborn police officers updating each other on the direction of the chase while monitoring road conditions, civilian traffic, and speed, which at times exceeded 90 miles per hour.
After crossing through multiple cities and identifying the driver, a supervisor called off the pursuit.
"I've been doing this for 27 years and I can tell you more and more people are fleeing from police and it's putting police departments, police chiefs and officers in a very tough position," said Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shahin.
Shahin explained that officers must consider many factors during a chase, including the type of vehicle involved.
"When you're chasing a semi tractor trailer, at some point you might as well be chasing a Sherman tank, so we realized it was time to terminate that pursuit before someone got hurt," Shahin said.
FULL INTERVIEW: Issa Shahin, Dearborn Police Chief, describes chases involving semi truck
Despite ending the initial pursuit, the red semi truck continued to appear throughout the weekend. From Detroit to Westland, multiple departments found themselves in pursuit of the vehicle.
Donald Ward witnessed the chase in Westland around 10 p.m. Sunday, capturing footage on his dashcam of the truck speeding through an intersection with multiple police cars in pursuit.
"Yeah, right through the red, did not disregard, did not slow down, nothing," Ward said.
Ward narrowly avoided a collision with the truck. "If I was maybe 30 seconds ahead of where I was, I probably would've gotten smoked," he said.
Jaclyn Livingston had an even closer encounter minutes earlier when the truck drove toward her going the wrong way on a one-way street in the dark. Her 6-year-old son was in the backseat.
"I looked down and all of a sudden saw his headlights about 10 feet from me," Livingston said.
"My car shook, it was that close, and I had my son in the car with me too, and we were both pretty shaken after that," she said.
FULL INTERVIEW: Jaclyn Livingston describes witnessing a police chase involving a semi
Police finally tracked down Zbib in Detroit on Monday and charged him on Wednesday. Witnesses expressed relief that he's off the streets and gratitude for their safety.
"I'm actually really shocked no one got hurt considering how recklessly he was driving," Ward said.
"To be honest, I think it was an act of God that nobody was injured during this situation," Livingston said.
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