Macon County police arrested an Illinois man after he led them on an hour-and-a-half-long, low-speed chase – on a forklift.
Police first received reports of the 41-year-old unnamed man’s alleged mischief at around 10:51 p.m. Wednesday. Warrensburg residents had complained a man was “doing doughnuts” on a local driveway, according to the Herald and Review.
The man had already left the scene before deputies arrived, Macon County Sheriff Jim Root said, according to the outlet. He was found driving a forklift along rural highways west of town. Police chased the man 10 miles towards Decatur at an estimated speed of seven miles per hour or less, the Review reported. The forklift driver was allegedly ignoring officers’ requests to pull over the whole time.
Forklift Driver Leads Police on Low-Speed Chase Through Macon County
Police were involved in a pursuit Wednesday night: They chased a #forklift driver all the way from Warrensburg to Decatur
More https://t.co/P2fWSzq75y pic.twitter.com/y9TM8u8AJk
— Kyle Thill (@KyleThill) September 1, 2023
“I believe they did try a spike strip to stop him but, with the type of tires this forklift had, as they don’t run on air tires, that didn’t work,” Root said, according to the Review. (RELATED: Cops Pull Over Man With Full-Grown Bull In Passenger Seat Of His Car)
Allegedly still ignoring the squad car with flashing lights right behind him, the man continued his drive for about an hour and a half until finally pulling into the parking lot of the Caterpillar Inc. plant on North 27th Street, where police were able to arrest him. Officers booked the man into Macon County Jail, where he faces a preliminary charge of aggravated fleeing and eluding and disobeying traffic signs, according to the Review. His motive remains unclear, though Root suggested the man may suffer from “mental health issues.”
“We’ve had some weird pursuits in things like golf carts and stuff like that before,” Root said. “But I don’t think we’ve ever had a forklift that I can remember.”