MAYFIELD TOWNSHIP -- A man who allegedly attacked his girlfriend and held police at bay for hours is on the run.
In a dramatic twist of events, the Lapeer County sheriff tells NBC25 a reported domestic offender fled from the Mayfield Township home deputies surrounded for seven hours Wednesday afternoon.
SWAT teams responded to the home off Farnsworth Road shortly before 1 p.m. after a woman told police her boyfriend tried to choke her and that he had a gun. The woman had fled the scene before deputies arrived.
Authorities believed the man was still inside and used infrared technology to find his location.
"He does have weapons, but in talking to the neighbors, they have not heard shots. However, a small caliber weapon in a ranch-type home might not be discernable at this time of day with so much traffic,” Sheriff Ron Kalanquin said.
Kalanquin told NBC25 deputies later learned the man was not home and had escaped before authorities got there. He says he plans to get a warrant for the man's arrest Thursday morning.
If found, he could face aggravated assault charges and charges for carrying a weapon as a felon.
