If you’re looking to make a quick getaway from a crime, you should probably opt for something fast and nimble as your escape vehicle - like a slick hot hatch. You probably shouldn’t go for a cumbersome piece of heavy machinery that tops out at 12 mph as your escape vehicle, as a man in Alabama did last week.
Police in Alabama were led on one of the slowest car chases ever on January 30 when a man made off with a $100,000 skid steer from a paving company, reports CarScoops. The suspect tried to use the machine, which can’t travel much more than 12 mph, to try and ram officers off the road before being captured.
The suspect stole the machine in Mobile, Alabama, on the morning of January 30 and then used it to try and ram a pedestrian. The driver of the skid steer was ordered to stop by police, before they hit the gas and led officers on a chase down Interstate 10, as CarScoops reports:
Part of the pursuit on the interstate was captured on video by a local. In the clip, the skid-steer can be seen slamming into the rear of a police cruiser, forcing the officer to accelerate away to avoid further damage. The driver appears to have then made other attempts to hit other police vehicles.
According to Wear News, police opened fire on the driver after failing to get them to comply with orders to stop. It’s understood the driver was injured and transported to a local hospital for treatment. The extent of their injuries isn’t known. According to those who witnessed the arrest, approximately 8-10 shots were fired.
The man who stole the skid steer ended up in hospital following the chase and first responders administered CPR on the scene, reports local outlet NBC 15 News. Police have not identified the man involved in the chase, and no other injuries have been reported as a result of the incident.
The industrial equipment caught up in the chase was reportedly a Kubota SVL75-3 compact track loader. The machine belongs to an asphalt paving company in Alabama and was valued at around $100,000, adds Equipment World. I don’t know about you, but if I was going to steal a $100,000 vehicle, this isn’t the kind of machine I’d go for.
Police impounded the bullet hole-speckled machine as evidence. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
This isn’t the first time police in America have been caught chasing down heavy machinery. Over the past year, officers across the U.S. chased tractors, front-loaders and even snow plows.