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Alleged Detroit car thief facing charges after owner tracks him down, drags him out of store

By Jessica Dupnack and Amber Ainsworth
Published  July 19, 2021 10:04am MST
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 2 Detroit

Suspected car thief charged after woman tracked him down, dragged him outside by his dreads

A man is facing charges after he's accused of stealing a car in Detroit and joyriding in it for days before the car's owner caught him. She grabbed him by his dreadlocks and dragged him out of a barbershop.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - A man is facing charges in connection with the theft of a Mercedes Benz in Detroit.

Michael Tolbert, 19, is charged with receiving and concealing stolen property - $20,000 00 or more.

38a8fae3-michael tolbert

Michael Tolbert

Bianca Chambers' car was stolen last week. She said that for two days she tracked it around the city. Police had responded to four of her calls, but by the time they got there, the car was always gone.

On Wednesday, she confronted the accused thief – Tolbert – as he was getting his hair done at a barbershop at Greenfield and Grand River and made sure he couldn't escape.

MORE: Woman tracks down stolen car, drags suspect from barbershop by dreads

Chambers dragged Tolbert from the barbershop by his dreadlocks and slashed her own tires so he couldn't leave in her car. While she was doing that, customers made a citizens' arrest.

"I’m sorry to say but I don’t regret anything," Chambers said. "I feel like I did my job. I did what I was supposed to do."

Tolbert could have pressed assault charges against Chambers for the incident, but he didn't.

mercedes-thief-suspect.jpg

A Detroit woman tracked her stolen car for days - and then confronted the man driving it as he was getting his dreds done.

According to jail records, Tolbert was given a personal bond but is being remanded on a probation violation in a case from 2020.

A probable cause conference is scheduled for Aug. 11.

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