A 12-year-old boy gave police a hard time in Michigan when he led them on a wild chase after driving a stolen forklift.
According to the Ann Arbor Police Department, the forklift, a Construction Genie GTH-636 Telehandler, was stationed outside Forsyth Middle School before the boy got behind the wheel. Police stated in their initial investigation that the forklift was unlocked with the key inside.
The boy proceeded to have an hourlong chase with police, where he hit 10 parked cars while driving the 35,000-pound vehicle. No one was injured.
“This was a very dangerous situation that could’ve easily ended with serious injuries,” the police department said on Facebook.
Law enforcement was called to the school around 6:45 p.m. after reports came in a child was trying to steal the forklift. Police then saw the boy driving down the street with no headlights which led them to chasing him at a speed of 15 to 20 miles per hour.
Dash Cam footage shared by WKRN showed police tailing behind the vehicle as the boy veered in and out of both lanes.
“He’s lowering the hooks. Don’t go in front of [the forklift],” an officer said in the video. Police can also be heard telling the boy to pull over.
At around 7:18 p.m., police stopped their pursuit as the boy left city limits, which led the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office to take over until the boy stopped the vehicle at around 7:53 p.m.
The 12-year-old was then taken into custody and sent to a juvenile detention center after the whole ordeal while police continue their investigation of the situation.
