Thief steals construction vehicle, leads police on low-speed chase on northeast side

INDIANAPOLIS – Police encountered a decidedly low-speed affair early Friday morning after someone stole a piece of construction equipment on the northeast side.

Indianapolis Metropolitan police were involved in a pursuit around 2:15 a.m. An officer at the scene said the equipment, a Caterpillar skid loader, may have been taken from a construction site near 56 ^th Street and Shadeland Road.

The pursuit reached speeds of up to 9 mph as the driver tried to elude capture. It ended near Emerson Way and East Fall Creek Parkway North Drive when the driver ditched the Caterpillar in Fall Creek and swam away.

Video from the scene showed the vehicle stuck in some brush. A tow truck was eventually able to pull it out and remove it from the scene.

Police set up a perimeter but were unable to find the thief. The incident remains under investigation.

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