Couple held up, gun fire riddles gasoline station

This story was published by The Ypsilanti Daily Press on Wednesday, May 14, 1930.

County and municipal authorities are today investigating a hold-up Tuesday night on North River Road, two miles from the city while state and county officials are investigating the “shooting up” Tuesday morning of the Ernest Steffe filling station, Ecorse and Belleville Roads.

John Ward, Kalamazoo, who was riding on the North River Road, with a Ypsilanti woman whose identity was not revealed by officers, was robbed of about $50 when their car was forced into the ditch by two men in a heavy sedan. The woman driver of the car had her purse in the pocket of the automobile and it was not found by the thugs.

After stealing the money, the bandits, believed by officers to be experienced hold-up men, took the distributor head off the victim’s car, and, wrapping it in a handkerchief, told the two it would be dropped in the road one-half mile away. It was later found after Ward and his companion had gone to the nearest farmhouse and notified officer here.

Sergeant Ernest Klavitter and Deputy Lynn Squires responded but by the time they were able to drive to the scene of the hold-up no trace of the bandits could be found. The two men, both of whom were armed were without coats, and were rough looking. One was about 28 years old, weighed 150 pounds and was tall. The other, about 35 years old, weighed 200 pounds, Ward said.

Deputy Squires and Sergeant Bruce McGlone of the Wayne state police are investigating the “shooting up” up the filling station, early Tuesday morning. The destruction was not found until the attendant arrived later in the morning.

Deputy Squires was called and he later called Sergeant McGlone. Windows and lighting fixtures had been shot and the place generally wrecked by the bullets which the officers decided were from a .45 caliber revolver.