A man with a history of mental illness was shot and killed after driving through a checkpoint at an Air National Guard Base and leading security on a high-speed chase, officials said Thursday.
Timothy James Whisman, 37, of Fraser, was taken to Mount Clemens General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, said Michigan State Police Sgt. Craig Nyeholt.
It was the second break-in in two months at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, 30 miles northeast of Detroit. Another man was arrested on the base in April and faces charges.
Wednesday evening, the unauthorized vehicle forced its way onto the base, evaded security officers at high speeds and struck a privately owned vehicle, according to a statement from the 127th Wing of the Michigan Air National Guard.
Officers fired shots when the driver tried to run over security personnel, but he continued driving around the base until being forced off the road and then taken to a hospital, the statement said.
Nyeholt said Whisman’s psychological problems dated back at least until 1998, when an order for his involuntary hospitalization was issued. He said Whisman’s family told police that the problems stemmed from a head injury after a motorcycle accident.
In the earlier break-in, on April 4, a 21-year-old man led security patrols on a brief high-speed chase at Selfridge before they caught him. No shots were fired, and the FBI determined terrorism was not involved. Abdallah Karadsheh of Macomb Township was charged with attempting to maliciously destroy military structures.
