Michigan

12-year-old leads Michigan police on chase in stolen construction forklift

The 12-year-old boy stole the construction vehicle from outside a middle school, leading police in an hourlong pursuit without headlights on, police said.

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A 12-year-old boy driving a stolen construction vehicle led police in Michigan on an hourlong chase, striking about 10 parked vehicles in the process, the Ann Arbor Police Department said.

The vehicle, a Construction Genie GTH-636 Telehandler — equipped with a forklift and weighing up to 35,000 pounds — was stolen from outside Forsythe Middle School using a key found in the cab, police said.

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

Police were first called to the school around 6:45 p.m. and later found the boy driving down a street without the vehicle's headlights on. With emergency lights on and sirens blaring, multiple officers pursued the vehicle at 15 to 20 mph through the Georgetown Boulevard neighborhood, police said.

The boy, whose identity was not released because he is a minor, was taken into custody Saturday night and put in a juvenile detention center. 

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