Traverse City man arrested after chase ends in ditch on Secor Road

A late-night traffic stop in East Bay Township turned into a chase across three townships and ended in a ditch on Secor Road, where a silver Jeep Cherokee struck a sheriff’s office vehicle and left three people with minor injuries. Deputies said the Jeep had nearly rear-ended a sheriff’s deputy before the stop was attempted.

The Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office said the traffic stop attempt came at 10:50 p.m. Friday, May 22, 2026. The driver then fled westbound on U.S. 31 North toward Traverse City, continued into Traverse City and Garfield Township, and repeatedly ignored emergency lights and sirens as deputies tried several times to deploy stop sticks to bring the pursuit to an end.

The chase ended when the Jeep drove into a ditch on Secor Road and hit a sheriff’s office vehicle. Deputies identified the driver as a 30-year-old Traverse City man. He was arrested on suspicion of operating while impaired, flee and elude, resisting and obstructing, four counts of felonious assault of a police officer, driving while license suspended and open intoxicant. He was treated for minor injuries and lodged in the Grand Traverse County Jail.

Two passengers were also inside the Jeep: a 62-year-old Traverse City woman and a 31-year-old Benzonia man. Both were treated for minor injuries and released. The sheriff’s office said two of its vehicles were damaged during the incident.

The crash puts a local spotlight on the risk deputies face during high-speed stops on roads that connect East Bay Township with Traverse City. The sheriff’s office says it provides law enforcement service across Grand Traverse County, and its Records Division at the Law Enforcement Center on Woodmere Avenue in Traverse City handles police and crash reports.