The Farmington Hills Police Department is announcing the arrest and charges against a man who made terrorist threats against a police officer, following a traffic stop and arrest in May 2024.

 

On May 23, 2024, the Farmington Hills Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle operating without insurance, which was driven by 24-year-old Kyrstin Elliott and occupied by her 24-year-old boyfriend, Shawn Bonner, and their two young children. An investigation revealed that Bonner was wanted on an outstanding arrest warrant from Redford’s 17^th District Court for obstructing a police officer and failing to appear at court.

 

When Farmington Hills officers attempted to arrest Bonner on the warrant, he lied about his identity and refused the officer’s requests to exit the vehicle. Bonner escalated the situation when he dove from the front seat into the back seat and barricaded himself among his young children. Officers faced a difficult and chaotic scene as Bonner actively resisted being arrested, and Elliot began screaming at the officers and attempted to kick at officers. Farmington Hills Police officers relied on their training and experience to control the situation, while considering the resistance encountered, to ensure the young children were unharmed.

 

After this incident, Kyrstin Elliott was charged with interfering with a police officer, and the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office issued a warrant charging Shawn Bonner with Resisting and Obstructing a Police Officer, a felony punishable by two years imprisonment. He was arraigned in the 47^th District Court and released on a personal bond, even though he already failed to appear at court on a prior charge of resisting a police officer. On June 5, 2024, Shawn Bonner once again failed to appear at court.

 

On June 9, 2024, Shawn Bonner called the Farmington Hills Police Department and referenced the prior incident. Bonner threatened to beat and shoot Farmington Hills Police officers. The following day, Bonner called the father of one of the officers who arrested Bonner and left a voicemail for the father that gave the officer’s home address and told them they were not safe.

 

Based upon his threats and dangerous behavior, detectives from S.O.N.I.C. (South Oakland Narcotics & Intelligence Consortium), with the assistance of the Redford Police Department, located Bonner, Elliot and their children driving in Redford, and attempted to arrest Bonner, who again refused to follow lawful orders to exit the vehicle, and instead directed Elliot to drive away from the scene. Detectives utilized their training to contain the vehicle and prevent a pursuit that would have endangered the public, as well as Bonner’s children.

 

Bonner again barricaded himself and utilized his children as a shield to prevent his arrest. Bonner continued to threaten the detectives as they attempted to reason with the couple for 45 minutes. As the Detectives attempted to de-escalate the situation, Bonner grabbed the car keys and jumped into the driver’s seat. Fearing Bonner would ram them or the police cars, detectives utilized a window punch to safely break the glass and take Bonner into custody.

 

After a thorough investigation, Farmington Hills Police detectives submitted their findings to the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office, which issued a warrant charging Shawn Bonner with one count of False Report or Threat of Terrorism, a felony punishable by 20 years imprisonment.

 

Shawn Bonner was arraigned on the charges before Judge Brady of the 47^th District Court on June 12, 2024. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf, bond was set at $100,000 cash or surety, and he was remanded to the Oakland County Jail.

 

“I am grateful to the men and women of the Police Department who put on the badge and serve this community with pride and honor daily,” said Farmington Hills Police Chief Jeff King. “The Farmington Hills Police Department believes in procedural justice and conducts Constitutional policing in all its operations. In this case, Bonner disobeyed the rule of law, escalated situations that officers attempted to de-escalate, endangered his own family, and threatened officers and their families. I am concerned by the increasing lack of respect for the rule of law and Law Enforcement, and the confrontations it continues to create between the public and police.”

 

Chief Jeff King would also like to thank Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald for her response to these threats made against the officers and the Bonner’s attempt to intimidate a witness which would disrupt the judicial process.

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