Officer's view of a front loader driven by a helpful civilian engaging with a front loader driven by a suspect during a Norcross, Georgia, incident Saturday. The good guy won, flipping the suspect's heavy equipment on its side. Police say no one was hurt.Screen Grab from Gwinnett County PD Video
Gwinnett County (Georgia) Police officers, other local law enforcement, and employees from the business stopped a man who drove away from a Norcross waste management company Saturday on a stolen vehicle. The vehicle in question was a 75,000-pound front loader.
Officers responded to a call from the business around 11 a.m. Saturday and learned a disgruntled former employee was driving around the property in the heavy construction equipment, Gwinnett County Police said on Facebook.
The officer tried to get the man to stop the vehicle. But instead, he reportedly drove it off the property and onto public roads. Additional responding officers pursued in patrol vehicles. Backup was also provided by the Norcross Police Department and the Georgia State Patrol, who assisted with the pursuit and blocked traffic to protect innocent motorists.
The pursuit continued, but the original responding officer realized that they needed heavier vehicles. He went back to the waste management company to get a trash truck or another front loader, police say.
An employee of the company agreed to help, mounted a front loader, started it up, and joined the chase with a police escort.
The pursuing front loader caught up with the front loader driven by the suspect. Police video shows the pursuing front loader flipping the one driven by the suspect onto its side in one of the most amazing pursuit interventions ever performed.
“The suspect, Eddie Sanchez (age 38, Delaware), was removed from the cab of the front loader and placed under arrest. He was evaluated at a local hospital prior to being booked into the Gwinnett County Jail. He was charged with Criminal Trespass, Theft by Taking, Fleeing or Attempting to Elude, Reckless Driving, Criminal Damage to Property 2nd Degree, and Obstruction of a Law Enforcement Officer,” police say.
Sanchez was reportedly terminated from the business in September 2023. “He visited the business several days prior and did something similar but never left the property,” police say.
