Victim drew knife on teen thief, police say

A Walled Lake man allegedly trying to get retribution for a crime committed against his family took the law into his own hands late last month and threatened the teenager allegedly responsible.

According to Walled Lake Police Department reports, during a Monday, June 20 Oakland County Circuit Court juvenile intake, police discovered the 15-year-old was threatened days prior when he was walking with a group of teenagers in the Eagle Pond complex not far from Lark Path.

A male and female allegedly approached the group and singled the 15-year-old out. The man then allegedly pointed a 3-inch fishing knife with the blade exposed at the teenager, accusing him of breaking into his home.

The man and the 15-year-old are acquaintances and lived in the same home for about eight months, according to Walled Lake police.

According to the police incident report, the man stated that he became angry when he saw the 15-year-old wearing his shorts and baseball cap that were stolen during the break-in.

The female allegedly proceeded to grab the man’s shirt, pulling him away from the teenager, and the pair left the area. At some later point, the man and the teenager reconnected. The teen reportedly handed over two bags of clothing that he allegedly stole from the man’s home, but apparently some stolen items were still missing.

Three out of four witnesses at the scene corroborated the man’s story, whereas one of them stated the man held the knife blade up to the teenager’s neck during the altercation.

The 18-year-old man told police he discarded the knife after the incident because he was afraid he could get in trouble.

The case has been turned over to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office to review for appropriate possible charges.