12-year-old steals forklift, leads police on a low-speed chase
In keeping with this week’s trend of low-speed police chases with heavy machinery, police pursued a juvenile accused of stealing a forklift.
At around 6:45 pm local time, police in Michigan responded to a report of a 12-year-old boy allegedly stealing a construction vehicle from Forsythe Middle School.
“At 6:48 pm officers located the stolen vehicle being driven southbound on Brooks Street near Pearl Street without any lights on,” reads a statement by Ann Arbor Police. “Multiple officers initiated a pursuit of the vehicle at speeds of 15 to 20mph with emergency lights and sirens on.”
Police shared the 30-minute dashcam video of the incident, which shows the driver of the blue vehicle refusing to stop, blowing through a stop sign, and driving on the highway and residential areas.
Watch the video below:
The 12-year-old gained access to the vehicle, which was unlocked. The key was hidden inside the cab.
The driver eventually stopped around 7:53 pm, and police identified the driver as a 12-year-old from Ann Arbor. The child was taken into custody and taken to a juvenile detention centre.
Police identified the vehicle as a Construction Genie GTH-636 Telehandler equipped with a forklift. The vehicle, which can weigh up to 35,000 lb, has a maximum speed of 29 km/h, according to Alexander Equipment.
Luckily, no one was injured in the incident, and a police investigation is ongoing.
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