After an hour-long police chase, a 12-year old boy is in juvenile detention after he stole a forklift truck in Michigan.
Police later identified the boy as an Ann Harbor local due to his age and reported that he stole a Construction Genie GTH-636 Telehandler at Forsyth Middle School on Saturday.
The Ann Arbor Police Department stated in a release on Monday, the boy hit ten parked vehicles during the pursuit, which happened after officers responded to a call reporting an attempt to steal the truck and found him driving the vehicle, which weighs up to 35,000 pounds, “without any lights on” at 6:48 p.m.
“Multiple officers initiated a pursuit of the vehicle at speeds of 15 to 20mph with emergency lights and sirens on,” police shared. “During the pursuit, the driver of the stolen vehicle traveled through the Georgetown Boulevard neighborhood, striking approximately ten parked vehicles.”
Police stopped chasing the boy after 30 minutes as he drove across the M-14 bridge.
“At that time deputies with the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office picked up the pursuit and followed the vehicle until the driver stopped at approximately 7:53pm in the area of M-14 and Gotfredson,” police stated.
Thankfully, no injuries were caused during the chase and innocent bystanders were able to avoid any accidents.
In a dashcam video released by police, the forklift truck is seen being driven at mid-speed along a road in a residential area as a police car follows behind with sirens on. An officer in the car is heard saying he’s “trying to stop” the boy, but “he’s still going.“
Apparently, the 12-year old unlocked the truck with keys hidden inside the cab.
“This was a very dangerous situation that could’ve easily ended with serious injuries,” police added.
A criminal investigation is ongoing following the incident.
