Rewind: News from the last 7 days

A Lansing police officer has been placed on administrative leave following a video of an arrest at the downtown Capital Area Transportation Authority bus station. The incident happened on Jan. 25, during the recent cold snap and during daytime hours, when the bus station functions as one of the city’s primary warming centers. The arrest was captured on a citizen’s video and has been shared on social media. It appears to show two Lansing officers approaching a person inside the bus station, warning the person that they’ll be arrested if they do not leave and, within moments, the two officers taking the person down to the ground with one officer striking at the person’s knee. Once on the ground, the second officer appears to slam the person’s head into the floor more than once and put his knee on the person’s neck.

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“The department has opened a complaint review, and the officer involved has been removed from patrol and reassigned to administrative duty during the complaint investigation,” according to a police department statement signed by Chief Robert Backus. Jordan Gulkis, a spokesperson for the Lansing Police Department, confirmed that one of the officers was placed on leave, but did not identify which officer. She said in a statement Monday that the individual arrested had been banned from the bus station and officers were telling the individual to leave or face arrest. The police statement says the individual was taken into custody for trespassing. While police were in the process of making the arrest, the person said they were there to be warmed and asked where else they could go. City Pulse has not determined the name of the individual or whether charges have been filed.

A man has been charged with weapons offenses following the death of a 4-year-old, who allegedly used the man’s gun on Jan. 21. The shooting happened on Sadie Court in Lansing. Prosecutors allege that the child got a firearm that had been improperly stored by a man who was a felon and prohibited from possessing firearms. The man, Maliki Pendergrass, 22, has been charged as a habitual third offender and faces six counts, including firearm possession and storage offenses, as well as a safe storage offense linked to a minor’s death. He has been arraigned and his bond is set at $1 million. According to a statement from Ingham County Prosecuting Attorney John Dewane’s office, Pendergrass was on parole for armed robbery.

The Lansing area is expected to continue to be under sub-freezing conditions for at least another week. The highest highs are expected in the mid-20s (but not until Sunday) and the lowest temperatures are expected to get close to -10 degrees. There are several cold-weather shelters open in the area. Call 211 for the latest information. Lansing has extended its Code Blue status, which allows shelters more freedom to accept people in the cold. Capital Area Transportation Authority buses are available to take people to shelters for free. The bus station downtown and most libraries, including ones outside of Lansing, are warming centers during daytime hours. Nighttime shelters include the city-operated Letts Community Center (1220 W. Kalamazoo St.), City Rescue Mission’s drop-in center or men’s shelter (415 W. Kalamazoo St.), Holy Cross’s New Hope Community Center (430 N. Larch St.) and Union Missionary Baptist Church’s family shelter (500 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.). Lansing council member Ryan Kost and dozens of residents have urged the city to open more city-operated shelter space. City officials have said the existing shelters have enough capacity.

Michigan could be the center of USA Today with the news that USA Today owner Gannett plans to buy The Detroit News, in addition to one of its flagship newspapers, the Detroit Free Press. The two papers had operated for decades under a joint operating agreement, essentially sharing back-of-house expenses, such as HR and business costs, while retaining editorial independence. That agreement expired days before the end of the year and the companies announced on Monday that they had signed a binding letter of intent for Gannett to acquire The Detroit News. The two papers would continue to publish separately, according to a press release. Gannett also owns the Lansing State Journal and several other Michigan newspapers. Disclosure: City Pulse Managing Editor Mike Ellis has worked at several Gannett papers, including the State Journal.

In May, United Airlines will be starting four daily flights from Lansing to Chicago, with tickets going on sale Thursday (Jan. 29). “We are thrilled to welcome United Airlines back to Lansing with the return of nonstop service to Chicago O’Hare,” said Nicole Noll-Williams, president and CEO, Capital Region Airport Authority. “This route is critically important for our region, providing our business community, residents, and visitors with convenient access to one of the world’s most connected global hubs.” The new route from Lansing to Chicago underscores the confidence airlines have in the region’s growth, said Tim Daman, president and CEO of the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce.

The Police Officers Association of Michigan’s Facebook page posted, and removed on Sunday, a false news piece related to the fatal Minnesota ICE shooting. The post falsely said Ted Nugent “JUST DROPPED A MASSIVE $100,000 BOMB TO FEED STARVING ICE AGENTS IN WOKE MINNEAPOLIS!” Association President James Tignanelli confirmed the post had been made on their page, but it was unauthorized and he said the Michigan police union had the post taken down, likely within an hour, because “the timing was bad” and it appeared as if it had been made on association letterhead, rather than a meme that he had previously seen on Twitter and someone else had reshared to Facebook. Tignanelli said someone or multiple people outside of the association maintain the association’s Facebook page, but declined to say who made the Ted Nugent post. “They thought it was good because he was trying to feed the police; we don’t even know if it’s true,” Tignanelli said. “They do a great job 99% of the time, we still like ‘em.”

MSU will honor the late Dan Sturges at a memorial Feb. 3 at Munn Ice Arena at 5:30 p.m. Sturges, the director of operations for Michigan State Hockey, died unexpectedly Jan. 19 at age 40. No cause of death has been announced. Sturges also played for the team from 2005-09 and was part of the 2007 national championship team. He returned to the program in 2019 and was promoted in 2022. The Verona, Wisconsin native was one of 19 in his family to attend MSU. “Dan Sturges was a beloved member of the Michigan State hockey family,” said Head Coach Adam Nightingale. “He was an adoring father and a devoted husband, and our hearts break for his wife Becky and their sons.” The Spartan players will be wearing a “DS” patch on their uniforms for the rest of the season to honor him. A Go Fund Me was launched for the Sturges family that has raised more than $178,000 from more than 900 donors as of Jan. 27.