By Joe Studley, Courtney Brogle, Dennis Romero and Phil Helsel -
NBC News
The parents of the teen accused of killing four people in a Michigan high school shooting were taken into custody early Saturday after a chase, Detroit police said.
James and Jennifer Crumbley were found inside a commercial building, Detroit Police Department Chief James E. White explained at a news conference.
[The 15-year-old arrested for the Michigan shooting will be tried as an adult for terrorism: "It was not an impulsive act"]
"They seemed to be hiding in the building," he said, adding that someone had let them in.
That person could be charged.
Upon receiving a tip, officers established a perimeter and the couple were detained without incident.
"They certainly seemed distressed," White added.
Oakland County Deputy Sheriff Mike McCabe said in an earlier email to our sister network NBC News that the couple were detained after a Detroit business owner called 911 to report their vehicle was in their parking lot. .
A woman was next to the car and fled on foot, McCabe said, adding that James and Jennifer Crumbley were taken into custody after an extensive search.
[The young man arrested for the shooting in Michigan recorded a video where he expresses his intention to kill his companions]
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald announced Friday that the Crumbleys had been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter in Tuesday's attack that killed four Oxford High School students in suburban Detroit.
The shooting was allegedly carried out by his 15-year-old son using a pistol that authorities said had been bought by his father days before.
James, left, and Jennifer Crumbley during their son Ethan Crumbley's video appearance in Rochester Hills, Michigan, Wednesday, December 1, 2021 () District Court via AP
County officials said that before the charges against James and Jennifer Crumbley were announced, the couple's attorneys had indicated that the parents had agreed to arrange for their arrest if charges were filed.
Unable to locate them, a search was launched involving the Fugitive Apprehension Team of the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, the FBI, the United States Marshals Service and other law enforcement organizations.
[The student who killed three of his classmates at a Michigan school shot more than 15 times]
On Friday afternoon, after authorities said they were looking for the couple, their lawyers said the couple had not fled, but had fled the city the night after the shooting "for their own safety."
"They are not fleeing from law enforcement despite recent comments in media reports," attorneys Shannon Smith and Mariell Lehman said in a statement at the time.
The Crumbleys broke into a bank on Friday and withdrew $ 4,000 for unknown reasons, a source with direct knowledge of NBC News said.
Late on Friday, the U.S. Marshals Service posted search posters and announced rewards of up to $ 10,000 for information leading to his arrest.
[Carrying small arms in public without the need for a license is already legal in Texas]
James and Jennifer Crumbley will be booked into the Oakland County jail and could be arraigned Saturday morning, according to McCabe.
After the attack in Michigan, more than 60 schools have had to close due to shooting threats
Dec. 3, 202100: 33
Under Michigan law, a manslaughter charge can be filed if there is evidence that someone contributed to the victim's injury or death.
If convicted, the Crumbleys could face up to 15 years in prison.
Juliana, 14 years old;
Madisyn Baldwin, 17;
Tate Myre, 16;
and Justin Shilling, 17, were killed in the shooting.
Seven other people, including a teacher, were seriously injured.
[Students who survived the Michigan shooting say the shooter posed as a police officer]
The county sheriff has said that James Crumbley purchased the gun used in the violence just days before the school shooting.
McDonald said the couple learned of disturbing and violent images on the day of the shooting and was urged for counseling.
"James and Jennifer Crumbley resisted the idea of their son leaving school at that point," he said during a news conference on Friday.
Instead, James and Jennifer Crumbley dropped out of high school without their son.
They returned it to the institute ”.
The images that authorities said were drawn by the teenager included a gun with the words "thoughts don't stop, help me," and a bullet with the words "blood everywhere," McDonald explained.
The day before, a professor saw the suspect looking for ammunition information on his mobile phone.
The school tried unsuccessfully to contact Jennifer Crumbley, according to the prosecutor.
McDonald said the mother later texted her son: “Lol.
I'm not mad at you.
You have to learn not to get caught. "
[Almost 70,000 people of Latino origin have died from firearms in the last 20 years]
The prosecutor told our sister network MSNBC on Friday that the teenager's parents "had reason to believe he was dangerous ... I think they should be held accountable."
He reiterated that prosecutors believe the weapon used in the attack was purchased for the teenager.
"We have parents who bought a gun for their son," McDonald said.
“They posted on social media that it was their weapon.
He published on social networks that it was his weapon, "he added.
[Perpetrator of Michigan high school shooting will be tried on terrorism and murder charges]
The couple did not tell school officials when they were informed of the images Tuesday that their son had a weapon, the prosecutor said.
Authorities believe he carried her to school that day in a backpack, according to McDonald.
His son, Ethan Crumbley, has been charged as an adult with four counts of first degree murder, one count of terrorism causing death, seven counts of assault with intent to murder and 12 counts of possession of a firearm in commission. of a felony.