Alleged Truck Thief Hits Officers, Vehicles Before Arrest in McDonald's Drive-Thru
As the officers made their way to the area of the stolen vehicle, they were flagged down by another
A wild police chase of a woman in a stolen truck ended at a McDonald's drive-thru as she attempted to order some food amid the pursuit.
The incident occurred at approximately 8:45 a.m. local time on Tuesday in Worcester, Massachusetts. The Worcester Police Department said it received a 911 call about a stolen pickup truck in the eastern part of the city, ABC reports.
As the officers made their way to the area of the stolen vehicle, they were flagged down by another driver who told them that their car had been hit by the pickup truck only minutes before, according to police.
With that information plus tracking the vehicle by GPS, it didn't take long for officers to find the suspect – identified by authorities as 38-year-old Johanna Gardell of Worcester -- in the stolen pickup truck only a few blocks away.
"The officer activated his blue lights, got out of his cruiser, and approached the stolen vehicle," the Worcester Police Department said in a statement on Tuesday. "The operator … drove away as the officer walked toward her. The officer got back into his cruiser and followed her at a low rate of speed, but she did not stop. Ms. Gardell began to increase her speed on Main St and drove through red lights. The officer deactivated his lights and sirens and stopped following her for safety reasons."
The pursuit continued. Gardell drove into oncoming traffic, and subsequently ended up driving into a van with the stolen pickup truck, according to police.
"At this point, two officers working a detail and another officer in the area approached the vehicle in an attempt to extract Ms. Gardell," the Worcester Police Department said. "She backed up the vehicle at a high rate of speed and struck a cruiser behind her, and knocked down and dragged one of the detail officers. Officers pursued the stolen vehicle at a low rate of speed before the pursuit was called off for safety reasons."
Gardell then pulled into the drive-thru at a nearby McDonald's restaurant in an attempt to order food, but officers were able to locate her again and make an arrest on the property, according to police.
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