Dan Chiappelli, a former MP in the U.S. Army, chased down two armed men after they robbed his store. Photos by Phil Custodio

BY PHIL CUSTODIO
Clarkston News Editor
Dan Chiappelli was open for business Monday morning despite being shot in the back Saturday during an armed robbery of his Dixie Highway shop, Clarkston Jewelry Outlet.
“It just grazed me,” said Chiappelli, 51, who still had fragments from the gunshot in his back, and was also pistol whipped during the robbery, Dec. 17. “I’ve got to make a living. My daughter needs a Christmas. I don’t have millions in the bank. All my money’s in the cases here. I’ve got to work.”
After being shot, Chiappelli, who served in the U.S. Army Military Police, chased the two robbers in his pickup truck.
He drove northbound on Dixie Highway, and east on White Lake Road where he saw the suspects in a vehicle stopped at the entrance to Lakeview Cemetery, and attempted to block the vehicle in.
One of the suspects got out of the car and fired 2-3 rounds at Chiappelli, missing him. The former MP then rammed the suspects’ car with his pickup, stopping the suspects from leaving.
“I rammed them as hard as I could,” he said. “I didn’t want them to get away and rob someone else, or murder someone.”
Oakland County Sheriffs deputies caught one of the suspects, Roy-Lee Jeffrey Genright, 48, of Detroit, who was on parole for armed robbery. He was armed with a loaded Ruger 9mm semi-automatic pistol.
According to sheriff’s office reports, two suspects entered the jewelry store at 4:03 p.m., Dec. 17, and pointed guns at Chiappelli and his 20-year-old son, who Chiappelli asked not to identify. The two robbers, both wearing ski masks and dark clothing, demanded all of the jewelry and the money in the safe.
They told the victims to lie on the floor and both complied. Later during the robbery, Chiappelli struggled with the robber in the back room, and the suspect called for the other to shoot the store owner.
“I’m a fighter,” Chiappelli said.
The other suspect walked into the back room, fired a single shot at Chiappelli, then began striking the victim in the head with his gun.
The suspects ordered the younger victim to open the larger safe, which he did, telling the robbers to take what they wanted.
The suspects took an unknown amount of cash and jewelry and a handgun from the safe, and fled the store, one through the front door and the other through the back.
Chiappelli was not armed when he pursued the robbers in his truck.
“They weren’t expecting that,” said Chiappelli’s son about why the armed robbers chose to flee after the vehicular confrontation. “My dad is a hero. It was real John Wayne stuff. We were blessed.”

One suspect fled into the cemetery in the opposite direction, and a perimeter was set up by responding deputies. The second suspect fled across Middle Lake, which is now frozen.
An OCSO K-9 picked up the track on the other side of the lake. The track led to a home in the 6000 block of Middle Lake Road, where the suspect entered an attached garage through a window he broke out. He was able to steal a 2014 Jeep Cherokee, which had the keys in it. The homeowners were not home at the time. An area search was conducted for the Jeep but it was not located.
The sheriff’s department would not provide a description of the suspect at large, but said they are still actively looking for him.
The suspect taken into custody, Genright, was found by deputies near the water tower northwest of the intersection of Dixie Highway and White Lake Road.
Genright was arraigned on Dec. 21 in front of Judge Fabrizio of the 52-2 District Court in Independence Township on charges including:

armed robbery with personal injury, punishable by up to life in prison;

possession of firearm in the commission of a felony, up to two years consecutively;

assault with intent to murder, up to  life; possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony, two years consequently;

assault with intent to do great bodily harm lees then murder, 10 years, $5,000 fine;

possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony, two years consecutively; firearms possession by felon, five years, $5,000 fine, and mandatory forfeit of the weapon; and

possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony, two years consecutively.

He was given a $1,000,000 cash or surety bond.
Posting on Facebook, David Boersma of Clarkston said he was coming home from the movies when he encountered the robbers at the cemetery entrance.
“Thank you to the man in the F150 that drove his truck into the gates and put himself between the shooter and my family. We called 911 as we were pulling a U-turn to get out as fast as we could. God was watching over us,” Boersma said. “So happy that it was not worse and so thankful that Danny rammed them with his pickup keeping me and my family out of the line of fire. Such a scary situation for everyone. I hope they catch the other one and wishing all a speedy recovery.”
Chiapelli was treated and released from McLaren Oakland for the wound to his back from gunshot fragments, and cuts and bruises suffered from the pistol whipping.
The OCSO Forensic Science Lab was called to process the scene. The 48-year-old Detroit man on parole with an extensive criminal history was subsequently lodged at the Oakland County Jail pending the issuance of criminal charges.
Two handguns and the victim’s hand gun were recovered as was all of the jewelry and money taken in the robbery. There is video of the incident but it could not be immediately released as the Sheriff’s Computer Crimes Unit was in the process of downloading it. The incident remains under investigation.
Anyone with information on the second suspect is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP. You can remain anonymous and there is a minimum of a $1,000 cash reward.
Chiappelli was in the U.S. Army from 1984-1987, serving with the 25th MP Company, 25th Infantry Division.
“I didn’t see any combat, except for combat on base as an MP,” he said.
Postings on the Clarkston News’ Facebook page about the robbery received more than 30,000 views each, 700 “likes” and other reactions, 200 shares, and dozens of comments.
“The outcome could have been so much worse, thank God the family is safe. Hopeful that law enforcement are able to arrest the other criminal and justice is served so the victims of this horrible crime can rest peacefully,” posted Sandy Sakalian-Mulvihill.
Posted Sonya Feliciano, “That man was determined to not be a victim – damn thieving cowards!”
“Danny is the biggest, toughest bad ass in the world. He is a former military police, he is trained to protect and he was not going to let it end that way,” posted Lori Sokoll.
“Thanks for all the good wishes and positive statements,” Chiappelli said. “We’re still open for business, and I’m looking forward to serving my community.”