A chaotic early-morning police pursuit in Royal Oak ended with a white SUV plowing straight into an Ulta Beauty store, leaving a scene of smashed glass and stunned first responders. The incident unfolded just after midnight on November 9, 2025, when officers found the occupied vehicle near train tracks and soon discovered an open container and a flat tire before the driver fled from police.
Video released by the Royal Oak Police Department shows the driver refusing to cooperate with officers, taking off when asked for identification, and leading them on a brief but dangerous chase through neighborhood streets. Police say the pursuit traveled westbound before the driver accelerated into the Ulta parking lot and lost control, ultimately lodging the SUV inside the storefront and wreaking significant damage.
Even more alarming, authorities report the driver attempted to flee after the vehicle was already stuck in the building, backing up to ram a patrol car and then driving further into the store, adding thousands of dollars in damage. Royal Oak Police Chief Michael Moore warned how fortunate everyone was that no officers, customers, or bystanders were seriously hurt during what was an unhinged and reckless episode.
The driver was identified as 26-year-old Katrina Patterson of Canton and was arraigned on November 10, facing multiple felony counts that include fleeing police, felonious assault, and malicious destruction of a building, with bond set at $50,000. Court records and local reporting also note Patterson has a prior 2023 conviction for operating while intoxicated, a pattern that should alarm anyone who believes repeat offenders are becoming a norm rather than the exception.
This isn’t just a wild headline — it’s proof that public safety suffers when dangerous behavior is not met with real consequences. Conservatives understand that law and order are the bedrock of a functioning community; allowing people with prior driving-under-the-influence convictions to remain loose on the roads invites tragedies and forces taxpayers to foot the bill for property damage and legal wrangling.
Local businesses now face the fallout: the Ulta storefront was left damaged and boarded up, employees and customers left to wonder when normal service will resume and who will compensate for lost wages and ruined inventory. Law-abiding citizens expect their police to respond and keep them safe, and it’s high time judges and prosecutors matched that effort with sentences and probation terms that prioritize community protection over easy leniency. The message should be clear — if you recklessly endanger others, you will be held accountable.
