Detroit man accused of pointing gun at Eastpointe police officers charged

Eastpointe — A 28-year-old Detroit man accused of pointing a gun at police officers last week Wednesday has been charged, officials said Tuesday.

Deaz Fitzgerald Titus Jr. was arraigned Thursday in 38th District Court in Eastpointe on charges including assault of a police officer, assault with a dangerous weapon, breaking and entering, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

A judge ordered Titus held on a $1 million bond and scheduled his next court date for June 29.

If convicted, he faces up to two years in prison for assaulting a police officer, up to four years for assault with a dangerous weapon, up to five years for breaking and entering, and up to five years for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to authorities, Titus' arrest stems from a special Detroit police crime-fighting initiative last Wednesday. Eastpointe police officers were helping with the effort.

During the operation, Eastpointe officers stopped a man for recklessly operating an ATV on Gratiot north of Eight Mile in Eastpointe. As they approached, they saw what appeared to be a gun in the waistband of his shorts.

The officers tried to restrain him, but he pulled away and struggled with the police, officials said.

One of the officers deployed his electric stun gun to subdue the man, who was later identified as Titus. He lost his balance and fell to the ground and rolled over.

Police said Titus pulled out his gun and pointed it at the officers.

The second police officer deployed his stun gun, but it didn't have any effect. The two officers then took cover. Because there was heavy vehicle and pedestrian traffic, they did not fire their weapons, officials said.

They said Titus got up off the ground and fled on foot into a residential area.

Police set up a perimeter and a Detroit Police canine unit was called. The police dog led them to where a man was hiding in a garage.

Officers arrested Titus without incident. They also recovered an illegal firearm where the subject and officers first encountered each other.

According to the Michigan Department of Corrections, Titus was released from prison in 2019 after serving nearly three years after pleading guilty to weapons charges stemming from an incident in 2014.

cramirez@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @CharlesERamirez