Abraham Pearson, 25, was on a mission when he stabbed a Wayne County deputy sheriff, Harrison Tolliver, 63, in the neck several times after his handcuffs were removed in a court holding area, stole the injured officer’s uniform and to top off the ruse, he escaped in carjacked minivan. An inmate at the Detroit courthouse for a hearing, he vanished for 14 hours. Dozens of officers searched the woods, abandoned unkempt city lots, alleys and vacant homes. But to no avail.
Guess how he got caught? He called a dispatcher from a convenience store and said, “Yeah, I’m the guy that got away earlier.”
Pearson, aka Derreck White, faces a host of charges including assault with intent to murder, armed robbery, carjacking and assaulting a police officer.
Pearson “was attempting to flag down cars in an attempt to get a ride when police arrived,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Carjacking victim Patricia Banford said Pearson threatened her. “He snatched the door open and said, ‘Get out or I’ll kill you!'”
Pearson will be sentenced Sept. 23 in circuit court on his original carjacking and armed robbery conviction, which carries a sentence up to 10 to 15 years in prison. Assaulting a police officer carries a lengthy sentence. Pearson won’t be institutionalized for a long time if found “guilty.”
The officer was treated and released from the hospital.
