RICHMOND, Ind. — For more than an hour Sunday morning, a man driving a stolen street sweeper led police on a very low-speed chase through Richmond, according to police and WHIO-TV.
The chase began around 1:30 a.m. after police received a report of a person recklessly driving heavy machinery in the 900 block of Butler Street. Authorities found a man, identified as 54-year-old Sammy Allen, of Richmond, driving a street sweeper that had been stolen from a construction company working on Sim Hodgin Parkway.
After finding the street sweeper, officers initiated a pursuit through Richmond at speeds of 10-15 mph, authorities said.
At one point, Allen nearly flipped the sweeper over while ramming it into a garage on the 500 block of South 8th Street, according to police. The repeated strikes caused the garage to partially collapse, officials said.
Police tried to stop Allen by deploying spike strips, though authorities said he was driving slowly enough that he was able to maneuver around most of them. Allen also reportedly swerved at an officer who was trying to set up the spike strips, prompting the officer to seek cover, police said.
The spike strips managed to puncture one of the street sweeper’s tires, though it was not enough to stop the vehicle.
Authorities said the pursuit ended after Allen drove the street sweeper into the East Fork Whitewater River while in a gorge near Veterans Memorial Park. He tried to run from the area after the street sweeper was disabled, though officials said he was apprehended with help from a Wayne County Sheriff’s Department K-9.
Authorities took Allen to a hospital to get treatment for injuries to his arm caused by the K-9, as well as other injuries to his face that he sustained while struggling with officers, police said. One police officer also sought medical treatment after the incident, but the officer was subsequently released back to duty.
Capt. Curt. Leverton said police plan to request that several charges be filed against Allen, including vehicle theft, resisting law enforcement, leaving the scene of an accident and reckless driving.