12-year-old driving stolen construction machine leads police on hour-long chase

A 12-year-old boy driving a construction vehicle equipped with a forklift led police on an hourlong chase in Michigan, the Ann Arbor Police Department said Monday.

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During the chase, the boy drove the stolen construction vehicle at 15 to 20 mph through a neighborhood as police followed with lights and sirens, according to NBC News.

The boy hit 10 parked vehicles during the chase, though nobody was injured, WDIV reported.

The vehicle was stolen from outside Forsyth Middle School. It was “unlocked with the key hidden inside the cab,” police said in a statement.

“This was a very dangerous situation that could’ve easily ended with serious injuries,” the Ann Arbor police statement said. “The incident remains an active and ongoing criminal investigation.”

Ann Arbor police followed the boy until he crossed the M-14 bridge and went into Washtenaw County. The Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office picked up the pursuit then, following the boy until just before 8 p.m., when he stopped driving.

The boy, who was not identified because he is a minor, was taken to a juvenile detention center, police said.

Click here to see a video of the pursuit shared by Ann Arbor police.