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Naked Machete-Wielding Woman Shuts Down Michigan Highway: Police

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Mary Rooke Commentary and Analysis Writer
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The Detroit Police Department (DPD) arrested a woman holding a machete on a Michigan freeway Saturday afternoon, Chief James White said during a press conference.

The woman was driving on I-96, new Grand River Ave., when she exited her vehicle naked from the waist down, acting erratically, DPD Chief White told reporters Tuesday. The scene forced Michigan State Police to shut down the highway, causing a massive traffic backup, White said.

DPD talked the woman into dropping her weapon and managed to apprehend her without incident, according to White.

“Saturday evening … we had a female, who was traveling on the freeway, decided to pull her vehicle over. She exited her vehicle on the freeway disrobed and had a machete in her hand, and appears to point the machete at passersbys,” the police chief said. “The officers, with the assistance once again of the Michigan State Police, who shut down the freeway for us, created a safe environment for her to go through her episode.”

White said officers believe the woman with the machete had been experiencing a mental health crisis. He added that Detroit has experienced an uptick in mental health calls in recent weeks, with the department reportedly taking 2,000 similar calls since Jan. 1.

First responders brought the woman to Henry Ford Hospital for evaluation and treatment, White continued.

The police chief praised the officers for safely apprehending the woman, calling the incident a “combination of collaboration, good police work, and getting this citizen the help that she needs.” (RELATED: Teacher Under Investigation After Allegedly Taping 10-Year-Old Student To Chair)

“Obviously, she’s in some form of episode. We don’t know what led to it, but you know what went right is the officers used their training. Our CIT [crisis intervention team], our mental health co-response user training, and this ended the way that we want them to end,” White said. “But the reality of it is we’re police. We’re not mental health professionals.”

“We certainly want folks like this to get the help that they need so that the frequency of these encounters are lessened,” he added. “I would much rather have the officers doing other type of work.”

He said police officers are “duty-bound to assist” in situations such as the one that occurred Saturday afternoon, and that he is proud the officers were able to end the incident “peacefully.”