12-year old Ann Arbor Boy leads police on a chase with a stolen forklift

A 12-year old Ann Arbor Boy leads police on a harrowing hour-long chase with a stolen construction forklift.

November 25th at approximately 6:45 P.M., officers responded to Forsythe Middle School, 1564 Newport Road, for a report of a juvenile attempting to steal a construction vehicle. Police located the stolen vehicle at 6:48 P.M. on Brooks Street near Pearl Street without any lights on.

At speeds of 15 to 20mph, multiple officers pursued the vehicle with emergency lights and sirens. During the pursuit the driver of the stolen vehicle struck 10 parked vehicles though the Georgetown Boulevard neighborhood.

The pursuit was terminated at approximately 7:18 P.M. when the vehicle was traveling northbound on Nixon Road crossing the M-14 bridge. Deputies from the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office took over the pursuit and followed the vehicle until it stopped near M-14 and Gotfredson at approximately 7:53pm.

The driver was identified as a 12-year-old boy from Ann Arbor and was taken into custody. He is currently lodged at the juvenile detention center. No one was injured in the pursuit.

Based on preliminary investigation, the juvenile gained access to the construction vehicle at Forsyth Middle School, where the key was hidden inside the cab.

The vehicle is a Construction Genie GTH-636 Telehandler, equipped with a forklift. This vehicle can weigh up to 35,000 pounds.

There was a very high possibility of serious injuries occurring in this dangerous situation. The incident remains an active and ongoing criminal investigation.