Police say he reported his own crime

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - Police in Kalamazoo say they've solved a burglary in a somewhat unusual way.

On Wednesday, the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety was notified of a burglary that occurred in the 600 block of N. Rose.

Officers say they confirmed that the business had been forcibly entered, and that the suspect had fled.

Police say the investigation began when a 27-year-old man walked to the Kalamazoo Public Safety sub-station on N. Park Street alleging to be a witness to the break in.

Police say the 27-year-old Kalamazoo man, who appeared to be under the influence of alcohol, was bleeding heavily from both forearms and hands due to multiple lacerations. The injuries appeared to be cuts and gashes caused by broken glass.

Officers say they immediately rendered first aid and began talking to the suspect.

The injured man told officers that he had witnessed a burglary in the 600 block of N. Rose. The man claimed to have observed someone break a window before crawling in to enter the business. Officers say the mans description of the suspect matched the clothing that he himself was wearing at the time.

Officers say the man went on to explain that he wanted to stop the criminal, and had therefore also climbed through the broken window in an attempt to stop the crime. His story continued with accounts of the injured man actually fighting with the suspect inside the business, however, he claimed to have lost his grip and the perpetrator fled.

Officers say they went to the business and found evidence that contradicted the injured man's story. They say it was very obvious by the amount of blood throughout the building, including smeared on furniture drawers and cabinets, that the self-proclaimed witness and actual suspect were one and the same.

After receiving numerous stitches at a local hospital for his wounds, police say they arrested the suspect for breaking and entering and sent him to the Kalamazoo County Jail.

Police added that "Kalamazoo Public Safety cannot always count on suspects to report their own criminal activity. Therefore, anyone with information about this incident or any other crime is asked to contact Kalamazoo Public Safety at 337-8994 or Silent Observer at 269-343-2100."