A man who stole a 32-tonne construction site digger and took it on a terrifying trail of destruction through a town has been seized by police in Florida.
The 47-year-old driver only came to a stop when he destroyed the front of a Walmart store and crashed into a loading dock.
Earlier on 11th September he had flattened four buildings at a storage facility and brought down a string of power lines while he drove through the streets.
Gainesville Police Department estimates the cost of the damage caused at around GBP 1.6 million.
He was arrested after leaping from the digger and running into the Walmart branch armed with a machete.
Still images show the aftermath of the bizarre destruction derby with the excavator.
Police later named the suspect as Jesse Charles Smith and say he hotwired the massive digger where it had been parked at a roadworks site.
Gainesville Police said in a statement: “GPD officers are currently working an incident at Wal-Mart (2900 SW 42nd Street) where the suspect stole a large excavator, drove it around the southwest (taking out power poles), and then drove through the wall of the Walmart.
“The suspect is in custody.”
Smith is reportedly facing numerous charges including grand theft, resisting an officer without violence, trespassing and damage to property – criminal mischief.
The court set his bail at USD 160,000 (GBP 128,256) and ordered him to undergo a mental health evaluation before his release.
No injuries were reported due to the incident.
