A farmer who allegedly caught two men trespassing on his land, then tied them to his quad bike and rushed them to the police station is being hailed as a hero online – despite being arrested.
The man, 52, had tied two boys, aged 17 and 20, to the front and back of his vehicle before driving them four miles to police.
But instead of questioning the pair about the alleged offense, they marched him in for questioning and later arrested him for false imprisonment and assault.
Today one of the boys revealed the details behind the terrifying incident which saw them race tied to the Lancashire farm’s quad bike to a nearby police station on Sunday.
Leland Hornby, 17, told The Sun that his friend rode his electric bicycle across the farmer’s field on Saturday evening, but when he left he discovered that the farmer had locked the gate.
A farmer was captured on CCTV driving through Lancashire with two boys, aged 17 and 20, strapped to his quad bike after accusing them of trespassing
The farmer tied the two ‘terrified’ men to the bicycle because someone claimed he almost fell off a few times
The farmer was later arrested on suspicion of false imprisonment and assault
His buddy then decided to leave his bike on the property overnight, where he would pick it up the next morning.
But when the boy returned to the farm, the bicycle seemed to have disappeared.
“As we were walking back, the farmer came up behind us, jumped off his quad bike and tackled us to the ground,” Hornby told the newspaper.
The pair tried to avoid the irate farmer but he managed to catch them both as he pulled their hoods over their heads before tying them hand and foot to his quad bike.
‘We couldn’t move. “I was on the back of the quad bike and my friend was in the front,” Hornby said, revealing he was “scared” of what the farmer might do.
The teen said he and his friend were thrown over the vehicle but not securely restrained, causing them to almost fall off a few times during the trip to the police station.
Shocking CCTV footage captured the moment the quad bike raced through the winding streets before arriving at the police station.
But upon their bizarre arrival, the farmer was arrested by police.
Speaking to the newspaper, Hornby’s mother said: ‘They were terrified. Absolutely terrified. They both almost fell off the quad.”
She said the events had left her upset and baffled as to why the farmer had reacted in such an extreme way instead of just calling the police.
A spokeswoman for Lancashire Police said they were called to a property on Sunday by a man who said he had arrested two men.
But as police headed to the farm, the farmer called a second time to announce that he and the pair had arrived at a local police station.
“When officers went to meet the man, they found a teenager and a man in his 20s on a quad bike with their hands and feet tied,” she said.
“They were not attached to the quad.”
However, following the incident and arrest, several netizens praised the farmer on social media for his actions.
Under a post showing the two men tied to the front and back of the quad bike, one Facebook user said: ‘Brilliant! And I hope to see more of this in the future!’
Another added: “Vigilant justice!”
Another said: ‘Excellent! Too bad we can’t see the faces!’
The farmer was later arrested on suspicion of false imprisonment and assault, but has since been released on bail pending further investigation.