A Florida man picked the wrong getaway vehicle when he tried to out run police in a backhoe on Tuesday.
In a video posted to YouTube by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Orlando Alvarez is shown tailing Carl Joseph Blahnik driving a piece of farm equipment across the famous Seven Mile Bridge along the Florida Keys.
Police said the 59-year-old went on a 90 minute joyride that left roads damaged. The video shows an arm on the tractor dragging along the pavement, sending sparks flying.
Several times police were forced to maneuver around the backhoe to avoid being hit. One cruiser was damaged in the pursuit.
Police were able to bring the slow-speed chase to an end by placing a spike strip on the road.
Blahnik was arrested and taken to hospital for treatment after complaining of shoulder soreness and shortness of breath.
Blahnik was carrying Wisconsin identification at the time, but police say he is possibly homeless following an encounter with authorities the day before.
Police believe Blahnik was living in a wooded area about 10 kilometres from the bridge, and say he likely stole the backhoe from a construction site nearby.
Blahnik now faces a slew of charges, including reckless driving with damage to property; fleeing with disregard of safety to persons or property; obstruction: dig up or disturb any street or highway; failure to register a motor vehicle; knowingly driving while license suspended or revoked; littering: 15 to 500 lbs; wielding a deadly weapon without intent to kill and grand theft of a motor vehicle.
The bridge was closed for several hours early Wednesday morning as police repaired damages to the highway and cleared boulders dumped by the tractor during the chase.
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