Man driving stolen forklift on interstate told cops he ‘borrowed’ it, SC police say
.jpg "A man is accused of stealing a forklift while drunk and driving it down the interstate, according to South Carolina police.")
A man stole a forklift from a Lowe’s parking lot while drunk and drove it down an interstate before he was stopped by police, according to South Carolina cops.
Officers saw the man driving the forklift in the southbound lane of Interstate 385 heading north against traffic at around 7:50 p.m. on Aug. 20, according to a report from the Simpsonville Police Department.
The forklift then drove through a shopping area, being spotted near a Zaxby’s and McDonald’s, before officers caught up and followed with their lights and sirens on trying to stop him.
The man in the forklift continued down a four-lane road toward a Target parking lot. An officer parked, got out of the car and ran up to the forklift, telling the driver to “turn it off and step down,” the report says.
“The driver continued to drive forward, with me running beside the forklift, telling him to stop,” the report says.
Another officer drove a cruiser in front of the forklift, and the driver stopped.
Officers arrested the man, who was “very intoxicated,” according to the report.
He told officers he didn’t believe he had stolen the forklift and only “borrowed” it because the keys had been left in the ignition. The forklift was worth $15,000, according to the report.
The man, 34, was charged with grand larceny of a value of $10,000 or more and public intoxication, according to the report.
Simpsonville is about 90 miles northwest of Columbia.
This story was originally published August 25, 2022 at 3:46 PM with the headline "Man driving stolen forklift on interstate told cops he ‘borrowed’ it, SC police say."