A North Carolina man stole a John Deere tractors, provoking a low-speed chase through the town of Boone on Tuesday. Cop request The driver of the stolen tractor was Ronnie Hicks, who police said was “very familiar”. No one was hurt or injured in the chase, though John Deere reaches speeds of up to 20 mph down U.S. Route 421 to the south.
Looks like the North Carolina Man is now running – albeit slowly – against Florida Man for amazingly stupid criminal action. The strange pursuit is the antithesis of a High speed chasebut guardian Called Ronnie Hick’s “breakfast speed” and erratic driving what caused many police cruisers to join the chase as the tractor terrorized the motorists. Just look at Ram trying to catch Deere in a deft move past another police cruiser:
Hicks, 43, is said to have crashed into stationary cars and even initially tried to hit pedestrians with a tractor in the parking lot. He then sped down US Highway 421, threatening to drive into other cars on the road. Hicks eventually rammed John Deere into a police cruiser but was forced to get off the tractor and flee on foot after turning into Boone’s back street.
North Carolina City Sheriff Andy Le Beau detailed the low-speed chase in an interview. declare on social media, going on to say:
We received a call about the tractor running erratically in a parking lot trying to hit a pedestrian and in fact hitting a vehicle on 421 on the east side of town. He actually crashed into several vehicles, a trash can and a church. We are still trying to work things out. We tried to use stop sticks, but they are not very effective on tractors
[…]
Mr. Hicks also intentionally crashed into a Boone Police vehicle. As he turned into Old 421, we next took an interest in Parkway Elementary and resolved not to let him go too far. While the tractor was in a deserted area, one of our officers shot the tractor tire (with my authorization) because the spikes didn’t work. Tractor then turns onto Elk Creek Rd. After a few miles of driving without a front tire, Mr. Hicks switched to private driving and ran out of roads.
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After Hicks was caught at the dead end, and the tractor was impaired by shots to its tires, the thief jumped off brandishing a knife. And I say the tractor was “impaired” rather than “immobilized,” because it’s possible the tractor could’ve found some traction.
Police claimed they finally had to use a taser to stop Hicks, and they added that this isn’t the first time Ronnie has had a run in with the law. After the chase, the tractor thief was arrested on charges of reckless driving and driving while impaired, among others.
