Forklifts are objectively awesome. That’s just a fact. So when a 12-year-old Ann Arbor, Michigan, boy found the keys hidden in a forklift outside his school on Saturday, we totally understand his desire to fire that puppy up and take it for a spin. Unfortunately for him, that’s technically considered stealing, and his little joyride ended in his arrest, ClickonDetroit reports.
The theft report came in around 6:45 p.m. on Saturday, and Ann Arbor police began what ended up being an hour-long, low-speed chase that topped out at speeds of about 20 mph. And while he handled the forklift better than you might expect from a 12-year-old running from police, he reportedly never turned the headlights on and hit about 10 parked vehicles. Thankfully, nobody was injured in the process.
After he left Ann Arbor city limits, the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office took over the chase from Ann Arbor police and was finally able to stop him a little before 8:00 p.m. They arrested him and took him to a juvenile detention center. Currently, it’s not clear what charges he faces or what his punishment will be.
As for the stolen forklift, it’s reportedly a Construction Genie GTH-636 Telehandler that can lift a load up to 36 feet and has a near-22-foot forward reach. It’s also capable of lifting up to 6,000 pounds, although, at its maximum height, that figure drops to 5,000 lbs. It uses a Deutz TD 2.9-liter turbodiesel engine that makes 74 hp and sends the power to all four wheels via a three-speed transmission. It’s also equipped with four-wheel steering and boasts a fully enclosed cab with a heater and defroster and can even be ordered with air conditioning.
