Man police believe to be part of stolen car ring arrested following standoff

A Detroit man who led Southfield police on a brief chase this week in a stolen SUV was found with an AK-47 and is believed to be part of a stolen-vehicle ring operating in southeast Michigan, police said Thursday.

Rayven Thomas-Stephan-Lamont Bibbs, 21, of Detroit, was arrested after the incident Tuesday and arraigned Thursday on 11 counts including stolen vehicle and weapons charges.

Bibbs and three other people, a man and two women, were taken into custody after police stopped a 2021 Dodge Durango Hellcat at an apartment complex near the Lodge and Nine Mile Road about 6 p.m. Tuesday. The vehicle was reported stolen in Fenton on July 4.

Bibbs drove a short distance away from police after he was stopped, according to police. Following a brief pursuit, the SUV was boxed in by police on North Park Drive, just outside the apartment building, using a tactical maneuver that prevented the SUV from moving.

Dashcam video of the incident was shown during a news conference Thursday with Southfield Police Chief Elvin Barren and other police officials at the Southfield Police Department.

The video shows officers ordering Bibbs and the others out of the vehicle multiple times during a six-minute standoff before all four stepped out of the Durango with their hands up. They were taken into custody.

The AK-47 was found on the floorboard of the front passenger seat, said Southfield Deputy Police Chief Jeffrey Jagielski. Police also found masks and stolen license plates in the vehicle. The Durango had a stolen Ohio license plate on it, Barren said.

Barren praised his officers for their expertise in using the "pit maneuver performed with precision" and avoiding a longer pursuit.

"It's very important where there is a standoff to exercise patience...to give suspects time to comply," said Barren. He praised how officers handled the incident, saying it "is another testament of the professionalism of the men and women of the Southfield Police Department." 

Barren said automakers should take note of how easy it is to take some popular vehicles, noting that some can be stolen using laptops.

The case remains under investigation. The other man and the two women had not been charged as of Thursday.

Bibbs faces charges of receiving/concealing a stolen vehicle, third-degree fleeing police, carrying a concealed weapon, firearm possession by a felon, felony firearm, felonious assault, two counts of resisting/assaulting a police officer, two counts of malicious destruction of police or fire department property and driving with a suspended license.

Southfield District Court Magistrate Medina Noor set Bibbs' bond at $500,000 cash surety. Noor also ordered him to wear a tether if he posts bond and is released.