The only thing that could stop a front loader… was another front loader
- A man allegedly stole a front-loader in Gwinnett County, Georgia on Monday, March 25.
- Officers couldn’t stop the man so they called in a second front-loader to end the low-speed chase.
- The suspect was arrested after his front loader was flipped over by the second front loader.
Police in Gwinnett County, Georgia arrested a 38-year-old man after a low-speed chase turned into a demolition derby of sorts. He was driving a front loader with a large bucket on the front and only stopped when a second front loader flipped him over. He’s now facing several serious charges surrounding his crimes.
Officers got the call around 11 am on Monday and responded to a dispute at a waste management site. When they arrived, they learned that a former employee allegedly stole a front loader. Evidently, he was driving it around the property until the police arrived.
Once they did, they tried to stop the man but he left the property and began a low-speed chase with officers. Considering that the front loader in question weighs some 75,000 pounds or about 34,000 kg for metric viewers, there was nothing officers could do to stop the vehicle. Authorities say that his “movements were unpredictable as he navigated heavy traffic.”
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At this point, the police split up their efforts a bit. Most continued chasing the suspect while one returned to the business. That officer rounded up a driver and a second front-loader to help end the chase. Bodycam shows some of the conversations where an employee and officer discuss how fast these machines go. “They can get up to probably about 30,” an employee says.
Officers then escorted the second front-loader to the chase where the two began to battle. After several collisions caught on dashcam, the pursuing front-loader managed to pick up a corner of the fleeing vehicle and flip it onto its side. That’s when officers swooped in and arrested the suspect.
He initially went to the hospital for evaluation but is now in jail. He’s facing charges including Criminal Trespass, Theft by Taking, Fleeing or Attempting to Elude, Reckless Driving, Criminal Damage to Property 2nd Degree, and Obstruction of a Law Enforcement Officer.
The motive behind the suspect’s arrival at the business on Monday morning remains unclear, leaving questions about his intention. Was he trying to prove just how good he was at driving one of these machines? If that’s the case it can’t look good that another employee won the demolition derby in this case.
