Police in Worcester, Massachusetts, arrested a woman Tuesday when she attempted to order at a McDonald’s drive-thru during a police chase, according to the Worcester Police Department.
The incident began at approximately 8:45 a.m. Tuesday when Worcester police were dispatched to a town in the eastern part of the city for a report of a stolen vehicle, according to the department’s Facebook page. When officers arrived on the scene, they spoke with a man who reported that a female stranger had gotten into his pick-up truck and had driven away. (RELATED: Woman Gets Arrested After Getting Into A Fight With McDonald’s Employees In Crazy Viral Video)
As the police accessed the truck’s location via GPS, they were flagged down by another driver who reported that the stolen pick-up truck had hit their vehicle, according to police.
With GPS location and the information from the other driver, police were able to track down the stolen truck and its driver, who police identified as 38-year-old Johanna Gardell.
However, for police, the chase had just begun.
Upon finding Gardell, the officer activated his blue lights and got out of his vehicle to approach the stolen truck, the Worcester Police Department reported in a press release.
“The operator…drove away as the officer walked toward her,” the Department said in a statement. “The officer got back into his cruiser and followed her at a low rate of speed, but she did not stop.”
Gardell then increased her speed and began driving through red lights, causing the officer to stop his chase for safety reasons. As she approached downtown, Gardell crossed over into the wrong lane into heavy oncoming traffic, hitting a van with the stolen pick-up truck, police reported. (RELATED: Truck Flips Over During Police Chase In Insane Viral Video)
“At this point, two officers working a detail and another officer in the area approached the vehicle in an attempt to extract Ms. Gardell,” the department said. “She backed up the vehicle at a high rate of speed and struck a cruiser behind her, and knocked down and dragged one of the detail officers.”
Officers had restarted the pursuit when Gardell decided that she needed to make a quick stop.
“Ms. Gardell went to the drive-through at McDonald’s on Shrewsbury St in an attempt to order food,” the department said on Facebook.
When officers approached Gardell at the drive-thru, she intentionally struck one of the police vehicles before going off the road and becoming stuck in the mulch on the McDonald’s property. Officers then approached the vehicle and pulled her out, despite a struggle from Gardell, police reported.
Gardell is facing numerous charges, including failure to stop for police, assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon and disorderly conduct, among several others. She will be arraigned in court, according to the department.
The officer who was struck by the stolen vehicle was transported to the hospital, his injuries were not life-threatening.