Florida thief steals an EXCAVATOR and takes out power poles before driving it into two buildings including a Walmart and getting arrested
Florida thief steals an EXCAVATOR and rips out utility poles before crashing into these two buildings, including a Walmart, and getting arrested
- A man took an excavator on a disastrous joyride on the evening of September 11
- He knocked out utility poles before crashing into the southwest wall of the Walmart Supercenter in Gainesville
- Police later found a storage room that the suspect had driven through
A thief blazed a path of destruction through a Florida city after stealing a backhoe, knocking down telephone poles and destroying a shipping unit before driving the heavy machinery into a Walmart.
Gainesville police say the suspect stole a large Komatsu excavator and drove it around the southwest wall of the Butler Plaza Walmart Supercenter, destroying utility poles.
He then plowed the machine into the Auto Care Center, near the entrance to Walmart.
Officers said in a Twitter post at 8.44pm on Monday that they were “working on an incident” as they arrived on the scene to cordon off the area with caution tape.
Photos posted by police show the excavator breaking windows and punching through the brick wall of the store, sending up debris. The man was later arrested.
A man stole a backhoe and took it on a bizarre joyride, knocking down utility poles before crashing into the southwest wall of the Walmart Supercenter in Gainesville
The building, located at 2900 SW 42nd St, is part of a sprawling shopping complex known as Butler Plaza
Police discovered the wreckage of a shipping unit through which the suspect had driven
The machine was recovered outside the Auto Care Center and the suspect was arrested
Earlier that night, the suspect blazed a path of destruction in the area near the Gainesville storage depot
Police worked with firefighters to secure the accident scene and circled the machine.
Gainesville police then posted an update at 9:22 p.m. saying they had discovered another building exposed to the excavator operator’s wrath.
The man also steered the heavy construction equipment through a storage area around 2700 SW 40th Blvd, near Gainesville’s Storage Depot.
Photos showed the gruesome fate of the unit which was completely destroyed and its white walls fragmented.
Crumpled brown boxes and yellow insulation lay strewn in the dirt.
No one was injured in either incident.
When asked to comment on the suspect’s identity and motive, Gainesville police said they were preparing a news release.