LONDON - Like so many other police chases, this one involved a stolen vehicle that slammed into other cars and injured people. But this drama involved a forklift that only went 20 mph.
In the end, police stopped the CAT forklift by forcing it into a barrier after a five-mile chase through central York, a city in northern England.
"Although this was low-speed pursuit...the nature of the CAT's design caused police serious problems," said police Sgt. John Suchomski. "It soon became obvious the driver was not going to stop for anything."
A total of six people were injured, including three police officers, and 10 vehicles damaged by the forklift during the chase, which occurred late in the morning on a national holiday, police said.
The first police car that spotted the forklift and tried to stop it to question the driver, was rammed, heavily damaging it and injuring the officer.
That began the chase, which involved 10 police vehicles and saw the forklift weave down roads, including one highway the wrong way, and deliberately crash into any vehicle that traveled in its path, Suchomski said.
The chase ended when police fired a device that flattened one front tire of the forklift, then forced it to crash into a barrier at the center of a highway.
The driver, who was arrested, was not immediately identified, and police didn't comment on what could have motivated him.
