On June 14, 1990, the Detroit Pistons defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 92–90 in Game 5 of the 1990 NBA Finals.
[1] The game ended at 11:30 pm EDT and rioting quickly began afterward.
Looting was reported throughout the city and at least 124 people were hospitalized for injuries, including 26 who had been shot, two had been stabbed, and over a dozen who were beaten in front of riot police.
41-year-old Bruce Burdett Thomas of Warren was charged with four counts of second-degree murder in connection with the incident.
In River Rouge, 28 youths were arrested after they smashed the windows of several stores and a police car.