A $3,000 Hummer purchase has led to a deadly confrontation at a suburban Detroit car dealership, where authorities say a Texas man returned days later and fatally shot two employees. The incident underscores how a consumer dispute escalated into violence, prompting first-degree murder charges and a full investigation into the circumstances.
Escalation After Hummer Dispute
The dispute began when the suspect—identified as 46-year-old Texas resident Terrance J. Sandles—entered a Michigan dealership weeks earlier, claiming the Hummer he purchased was defective. Surveillance video reportedly showed him threatening the owner and departing in a rental vehicle.
On November 7, Sandles returned, according to prosecutors, masked and armed. He allegedly entered the showroom of Star Auto Sales in Shelby Township, Michigan, and shot two employees—40-year-old Marvan Batoo and 48-year-old Ghaith Baban—at point-blank range during a robbery attempt.
Arrest and Legal Status
Police discovered the rental car at a motel in Romulus, Michigan. On November 8, officers executed a no-knock warrant at Sandles’s room, recovering the rental vehicle, stolen dealership cash, two handguns, and reportedly a quantity of cocaine.
Sandles was already wanted in Texas on a separate felony warrant linked to a prior shooting. He is being held without bond in Macomb County Jail, awaiting a preliminary examination in December and facing extradition.
