GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Following a car meetup at The Shops at CenterPoint in Grand Rapids on Sunday, Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom tells FOX 17 that he believes the same group at The Shops at CenterPoint went to other locations as well.
"I can't emphasize enough how dangerous they are for individuals operating the vehicles, for individuals who often are pedestrians nearby and who have been struck by cars," Chief Winstrom said.
Although not struck by a car, Chief Winstrom tells FOX 17 that one 23-year-old man was shot in the head at the car meetup at The Shops at CenterPoint. "We nearly are talking about a tragic loss of life," Chief Winstrom said.
Officials say this parking lot is a known location for this kind of activity. "It is just such a huge parking lot, it would be impractical to barricade every part of it off," Chief Winstrom said. "We're looking to get enhanced surveillance down there so that we can get quicker response time."
The call to The Shops at CenterPoint, located at E. Beltline Ave. and 28th Street, came in around 2:30 a.m. Sunday. There were an estimated 200 cars gathered.
Chief Winstrom believes the same group not only stopped at The Shops at CenterPoint, but also at I-196 near US-131 around 12:15 a.m. Sunday and the intersection of Michigan and Monroe around 1 a.m. Sunday.
"I believe they blocked one of the expressways for some period of time. They blocked some, some of the downtown intersections, and then they moved to CenterPoint Mall," Chief Winstrom said.
Chief Winstrom also shares attendees aren't necessarily locals. "They're from as far away as the Lakeshore down into Kalamazoo," Chief Winstrom said.
It's not unheard of for these car meetups to escalate. "They bring these weapons, thinking that there's already this lawless activity going on. They want to take it to the next level," Chief Winstrom said. "And that's what we saw here."
Chief Winstrom calls these car meetups "a very scary situation," saying the department is taking steps to crack down.
"We've been taking cars, we've been impounding cars, we've been writing tickets, we've been arresting individuals, and we look to keep doing that and keep doing it more effectively moving forward," Chief Winstrom said.
According to Chief Winstrom, the car meetups, specifically the shooting at The Shops at CenterPoint, are still under investigation.
The man who was shot is still hospitalized. Once he recovers, Chief Winstrom hopes he will play a key role in getting answers.
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