ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — Ann Arbor police say a 12-year-old is facing juvenile charges after he allegedly stole a forklift from a middle school and led police on a chase for more than an hour in November.
Officials say the 12-year-old is facing juvenile counts of unlawful driving away of a motor vehicle, fleeing a police officer, and resisting and obstructing a police officer. The charges were authorized on November 27, two days after the incident. No other information has been released and further questions about the case were referred to the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office.
On November 25, police received a report of the child attempting to steal the forklift from Forsyth Middle School around 6:45 p.m. Officers located the stolen vehicle driving south on Brooks St. near Pearl St. about three minutes later.
Multiple officers initiated a pursuit of the forklift at speeds of 15-20 mph with emergency lights and sirens on.
During the chase, police said the stolen forklift traveled through the Georgetown Blvd. neighborhood, hitting about 10 parked vehicles.
At 7:18 p.m., police terminated the pursuit when it went across the M-14 bridge on Nixon Rd. Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office deputies picked up the pursuit until the driver stopped around 7:53 p.m. in the area of M-14 and Gotfredson Rd.
The vehicle was unlocked with a key hidden inside, and it can weigh up to 35,000 pounds.
