Michigan boy, 12, steals FORKLIFT and smashes into ten parked cars as he leads cops on crazed chase through his hometown before he is arrested

Police in Michigan have arrested a 12-year-old boy who they say led them on a lengthy chase in a stolen forklift.

Authorities were called to Forsythe Middle School on Saturday around 6:45 p.m. on a report of a stolen forklift.

Officers found the forklift heading south through the city and gave chase at speeds between 15 and 20 miles per hour.

During the chase, the boy hit at least ten parked vehicles with the nearly 35,000-pound forklift.

The driver, later identified only as a 12-year-old boy from Ann Arbor, eventually stopped the Construction Genie GTH-636 telehandler and was taken into custody around 8 p.m.

Dashcam video shows an officer saying he was “trying to stop” the boy, but “he’s still going.”

The entire time he was driving the forklift without any lights on, Ann Arbor police officials said.

“Multiple officers pursued the vehicle at speeds of 25 to 32 km/h, with emergency lights and sirens on,” police said.

“During the pursuit, the driver of the stolen vehicle drove through the Georgetown Boulevard area, striking approximately ten parked vehicles.”

They finally stopped chasing him after half an hour when he drove over a local bridge.

“At that time, Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office deputies picked up the pursuit and followed the vehicle until the driver stopped in the area of ​​M-14 and Gotfredson at approximately 7:53 p.m.,” police said.

Police later discovered that the forklift had been left unlocked with a key hidden in the cab.

“This was a very dangerous situation that could easily have ended in serious injury,” police added.

Authorities were called to Forsythe Middle School on Saturday around 6:45 p.m. on a report of a stolen forklift

In this image taken from Ann Arbor Police video, a patrol car chases a stolen forklift driving through the streets of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Saturday, November 25, 2023. Police say the forklift was driven by a 12-year-old boy

The 12-year-old stole the forklift from Forsythe Middle School

Officers found the forklift heading south through the city and gave chase at speeds between 15 and 20 miles per hour.

No one was injured in the incident, which occurred the night of the Michigan-Ohio State College football game.

The 12-year-old driver was later booked into the Washtenaw County Youth Center.

A spokesperson for Ann Arbor schools said the forklift is currently at the school working on renovations.

The game is routinely a destination event for tourists, drawing 100,000 people to Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor each year.

Police are still investigating the incident as a crime.