A stolen forklift contributed to a chaotic series of events south of Los Angeles that was caught on video by a nail salon’s security camera.
Police received reports a man who stole the machinery from a construction site Tuesday night was driving through the streets of Costa Mesa, attempting to run down civilians, according to KTLA 5.
Video shows the forklift with a chain-link fence, which it smashed through while being stolen, affixed to the front of the vehicle as it rampaged through town.
Lacey Harvey said she’s seen a lot outside her Living Room Salon. But what her company’s video camera caught this week “pretty much takes the cake,” she told KTLA 5.
Harvey was amazed that the unidentified suspect not only crashed through a gate, but dragged it along for the ride before striking another vehicle with that stretch of metal and then dumping it in the street. She also seemed impressed by the forklift operator’s ability to navigate the stolen equipment.
“This guy knows the forklift,” she said. “He drove it pretty well.”
Newport Beach police officers pulled over the runaway forklift on Pacific Coast Highway, less than 3 miles from where it was stolen.
Costa Mesa Police Department Public Affairs Manager RoxI Fyad said the alleged thief covered quite a bit of ground, all things considered. “I do not believe he traveled fast,” Fyad said “It was a forklift.”
Charges against the suspect include vehicle theft and felony vandalism.
It’s not unheard of for forklifts to be stolen, though not everyone knows how to man one. A special license is required to legally operate a forklift.
Surveillance cameras in East New York recorded a forklift being stolen from in front of a school, where work was being done on March 28. The Brooklyn-based company that owned the forklift told News 12 they’ve had tools stolen, but never a 9,000-lb. piece of machinery that Toyota sells for up to $50,000.