Police torture Ypsilanti resident and demolish home in 30 hour siege
GREG WOODRING
Groundcover contributor
The combined forces of Ypsilanti Police, Eastern Michigan University Police, Ann Arbor Police, Washtenaw County Police, Livingston County Police, Plymouth Police, Howell Police, Hamburg Township Police, Shiawassee County Police, State Police and Washtenaw County SWAT laid siege against an Ypsilanti man experiencing a mental health crisis armed only with a sword. Over the course of 30 hours spanning Sunday, January 4 and Monday, January 5, police used tear gas, flashbangs, an LRAD (a sonic weapon meant to disperse crowds through extremely loud and disorienting sounds), a fire hose, and demolition equipment to try to force the man from his home.
The confrontation began on January 4 at 12:30 p.m. following a wellness check called by the downstairs neighbor. The neighbor had complained of harassment including banging on doors, floors, shouting and loud music. When police arrived the man allegedly answered the door with a sword and police made the decision to retreat and create a perimeter surrounding the building.
At roughly 4 p.m. Washtenaw County SWAT arrived. They proceeded to break both upstairs windows, cut electricity and gas to the house, and begin launching tear gas grenades and flashbangs into the residence.
The confrontation lasted through the night and into the next day. Police presence continued to grow. A mobile command unit, armored vehicle, several police cruisers, fire trucks, ambulances and a crane were deployed to the scene. Snipers also occupied the church across the street, displacing Meals of Wheels services.
Neighbors and community members had gathered in protest throughout the day. Around 3 p.m. Monday police confronted them, tackling several and arresting two.
At approximately 5 p.m. the Wash-tenaw County Sheriff Alyshia Dyer arrived and answered questions from concerned residents. The sheriff maintained that the police were attempting to de-escalate the situation, but could not answer why that level of police presence was required for one man alone with a sword.
At approximately 6 p.m. police, while elevated behind a specialized shield attached to a crane, began using a firehose to spray the inside of the building. The police continued to intermittently use the hose to spray the building for several hours.
At approximately 8:30 p.m. the police began to demolish the front and inside of the building using a crane. The police then proceeded to spray the fire hose into the building through the hole that was opened up. On the loud speaker negotiators played music and demanded that he exit the building, claiming they would continue until the building was totally exposed.
Finally at approximately 11 p.m. following two flash bangs, three tear gas grenades and the sound of what seemed to be gunshots police entered the building and pulled the man out in what seemed to be some dark tarp. The confrontation ended with police apprehending a man who had withstood nearly 36 hours of constant tear gas, flash bangs, sonic weapons and freezing cold temperatures exacerbated by thousands of gallons of water unloaded into his home by a fire hose and demolition equipment tearing the walls out of his apartment. Sheriff Dyer has reported that the man is now alive and in custody.
On Jan. 7 YDP submitted eight felony charges against the resident in crisis.
The City of Ypsilanti published a statement Jan. 7 via Facebook. "Per protocol, YPD requested aid from the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office Crisis Response Team who then arrived on scene, and were unfortunately unsuccessful in reaching the individual. Following the unsuccessful attempts, on directive of the Crisis Response Team Metro SWAT was contacted for assistance by YPD per protocol, due to their specialized training and resources. Upon the arrival of Metro SWAT, the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office assumed full control of the scene ..." WCSO has not released a statement as of the time of printing.
Regardless of how the decisions were made, it’s abundantly clear that excessive and unnecessary force were used against a single man who was posing no immediate threat to anyone. For roughly 36 hours, three residential blocks were blockaded, residents were displaced from homes, and neighbors were subjected to tear gas, the sounds of flash bangs and sound weapons, and extreme militarized police presence. The three-unit apartment building is completely unlivable, displacing the downstairs resident who originally called in the police for help.
Several questions remain to be answered surrounding the event. Residents have speculated that police used this crisis as an opportunity to train on the militarized equipment they rarely get to use. Many of them claim that this is the reason for so many far flung police departments to be involved in this mental health crisis turned domestic military action. Local, county and state police certainly haven’t given any reason that seems satisfactory to justify this level of force. If this is the case, one does have to wonder if the police having this equipment is actually making anyone safer, or if instead it’s simply tempting the officers to escalate situations that could have otherwise been handled without violence.
Electeds wobble, residents double-down: “Drop Peeler’s charges”
LINDSAY CALKA, Publisher and JUD BRANAM, Groundcover contributor
Follow up published January 23, 2026
Two weeks after the Jan. 4 standoff in Ypsilanti that left a mentally unstable resident in the hospital, facing felony charges, and with his home rendered unlivable by the tactics used to extract him, little is known. Ruben Peeler, 53, is still hospitalized and in custody two weeks after he brandished a sword during a mental health episode and refused to leave his home, not responding to demands from area law enforcement.
During more than 30 hours of a military-style standoff, the front porch was ripped from the house, a hole knocked in the upstairs and the interior flooded with a fire hose. The multi-unit rental house was rendered unlivable and sits boarded up at W. Cross Street.
Peeler faces eight felony charges from the incident. On January 7 the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners published a statement urging law enforcement officials to drop the charges in favor of rehabilitation and counseling for Peeler. The county commissioners’ letter stated, "People in mental health crisis should be met first and foremost with care, de-escalation and compassion. Instead, this individual was met with tactics that escalated fear and exacerbated an already fragile situation."
What the charges are for is still unknown. Peeler’s arraignment scheduled for Saturday, January 10, was rescheduled to Sunday January 11, and then indefinitely delayed due to his declining health.
The lack of information about Peeler’s charges contributed to Ypsilanti City Council refusing to move on Resolution 2026-18 “A resolution condemning the militarized police siege on West Cross Street, calling for all charges to be dropped, and demanding immediate systemic reform,” introduced by Councilmember Amber Fellows (Ward 3).
On Tuesday, January 20, more than 20 Ypsilanti community members spoke in support of the resolution in public comment. Some speakers also demanded more than what the resolution put forward — more accountability, transparency — and questioned why Council was not taking responsibility for the actions of the [police] department they determine the budget for. Others connected this incident to the lack of resources for emergency shelter, unarmed crisis response, eviction prevention and mental health support.
Council did not vote on the resolution, citing the potential City liability in the face of unknown charges and lack of information about the incident.
Fellows then moved to have the City Manager FOIA documents and body camera footage from the Ypsilanti Police lethal shooting of an unarmed man on January 6. This motion failed.
Many agencies have put out official statements since January 5. Wash-tenaw County Metro Dispatch defended protocol. Washtenaw County Community Mental Health shared, and encouraged the use of, their resources. The Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office stated they need more time to provide details of the incident.
While County Sheriff Alyshia Dyer has acknowledged that the end result of the situation was not ideal, she pointed out that keeping Peeler alive was a top concern that was achieved. "Once it reaches a point where someone is confronting people with a sword, trying to stab police officers, the options become very limited. The number one concern at that point is making sure this person survives. It shouldn't get to that point, so we have to collectively do better on the front end," Dyer told CBS News Detroit.
Ypsilanti Police Chief Tim Anderson acknowledged the widespread concern over the response, but said that the situation — a resident brandishing a weapon — dictated a strong response from police.
“Based on the information, I think that that was pretty much a textbook in terms of law enforcement callout,” Anderson told WEMU radio. “He was armed with a sword. And information received, I think officers were acting in good faith.”
Washtenaw County and the City of Ypsilanti have both begun an independent investigation of the incident. A pair of online fundraisers have raised more than $9,000 to support Peeler’s legal fees and other costs of rebuilding his life.
Find your Commissioner and contact information at www.washtenaw.org/202/Board-of-Commissioners
Contact Ypsilanti City Councilmembers at cityofypsilanti.com/323/Elected-Officials
Contact Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office sheriffinfo@washtenaw.org, 734-971-8400
