Evansville Man Arrested After Stealing Beer Truck
Evansville Man Arrested After Stealing Beer Truck, Leading Deputies on Chase
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — An Evansville man was arrested after leading deputies on a pursuit in a stolen beer truck that ended in a crash.
Just after 3 p.m. on Friday, deputies with the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a stolen semi-truck carrying beer.
The stolen semi-truck was first spotted heading west on State Road 66, northwest of the city. When deputies tried to get the driver to pull over, he refused and then led them on a chase down Diamond Avenue.
The stolen vehicle was eventually stopped in Posey County near I-65 north of High School Road.
The sheriff’s office said at one point the driver, 41-year-old Randall Baker, steered the semi towards a deputy who was attempting to lay down stop sticks in the road and ended up hitting a patrol car.
After hitting the department vehicle, the semi-truck went off the road and into a field. Deputies said Baker then refused to exit the truck, forcing them to use pepperball rounds to get him out.
Baker was taken into custody and later transported to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries. No other injuries were reported.
Baker faces multiple preliminary charges of auto theft, criminal recklessness, resisting law enforcement, reckless operation of a tractor-trailer, and operating while intoxicated.
