ANN ARBOR, MI – In a peculiar incident, Ann Arbor authorities were involved in an unusual low-speed chase on a recent Saturday night, following a 12-year-old who had commandeered a substantial piece of construction equipment.

The young individual had taken a large forklift, known as a Construction Genie Telehandler, from Forsyth Middle School’s construction site. The equipment, with potential weights exceeding several tons, became an unconventional getaway vehicle for the pre-teen.

Officers were dispatched following a tip-off about the attempted theft at the middle school. A responding unit sighted the forklift being piloted at a leisurely 15 to 20 miles per hour through a residential neighborhood shortly after the alert.

As the chase unfolded, the stolen construction vehicle left a trail of minor chaos, colliding with no fewer than ten parked vehicles and causing damage to multiple street signs. Police continued their pursuit meticulously, mindful of the potential risks, as the young driver took the heavy forklift to the outskirts of the city.

There, the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s deputies joined the pursuit and later successfully brought the vehicle to a halt. The circumstances of the apprehension remain unspecified. Nonetheless, the minor was detained and subsequently transported to a juvenile detention center for processing.

The incident raised questions about construction site security as it was revealed that the young perpetrator was able to commandeer the telehandler because its door was unlocked, and the keys were left in the cab. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities assess the chain of events that led to this unusual pursuit.