Two in Custody, Police Seeking Third Suspect in Assault at School

Ferndale Police have two men in custody and are seeking a third in the assault of a 16 year old student in class at Taft Digital Learning Center last week.

A third suspect – Jashiem Maynard Ross, 18, of Detroit –  is still at large and police are asking that anybody with information as to his whereabouts phone the police department at (248) 541-3650). People with information can anonymously call CRIMESTOPPERS (1-800-SPEAKUP) for a reward.

Ross is described as a 6-foot, 2-inch black male weighing 165 pounds. He lives in a residence on Prairie in Detroit, police said.

The three suspects entered a classroom while school was in session at 1:45 p.m. on Tuesday, April 15, despite warnings by an employee to keep out. They approached a 16-year-old student and demanded he give them his cell phone. The three students rendered the youngest student unconscious, took the cell phone, ran out of the building and were chased by the site supervisor. The injured student was transported to Beaumont Hospital by ambulance.

Ferndale police tracked two of the suspects down and arrested them in a liquor store near 6 Mile/Livernois in Detroit.

It initially appeared that this attack was a robbery, but investigation shows that the assailants were retrieving a phone that was stolen from one of them about a week earlier. They believed the 16-year-old that they attacked was the thief, Ferndale Detective Lt. William Wilson said.

The police department and school district are still investigating to determine how the 16 year old got the phone and what type of criminal and/or disciplinary action he may face.

“Regardless of the fact that the three who assaulted the young man may have been trying to recover a stolen phone, their actions were not justified,” Wilson siad.

The two men charged so far are Tre Cortez Barber, 20, and Tyler Mason Barber, 19, both of Detroit. They were arraigned on charges of assault with intent to do great bodily harm and are being held on $50,000 cash/surety bond. If convicted, they face a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.