A Florida man armed with a machete stole an excavator and went on a merry-go-round across Gainesville on Monday night, crashing into several buildings – including a Walmart – and causing about $2 million in damage.
Jesse Smith, 47, was arrested early Tuesday morning after he allegedly stole a yellow Komatsu excavator, valued at $350,000, and drove it down several streets, crashing into buildings, fences, and light poles, before finally coming to rest after crashing into a curb. from Walmart.
Smith entered the machine, without permission, at the construction site and “‘hooked up” the excavator and drove it away,” the arrest report seen by the Post states.
He allegedly smashed through a chain link fence at the job site before he drove into a building at a nearby storage unit center while extending the excavator’s “boom” to “cause additional damage.”
Four buildings belonging to the storage company were damaged or destroyed during Smith’s escape before he made his way to a nearby Walmart.
When he arrived at Walmart, Smith crashed the 72,000-pound machine into the wall of a loading dock before crashing into the south side of the store causing “extensive exterior damage.” Gainesville Police Department
Four buildings belonging to the storage company were damaged or destroyed during Smith’s escape before he descended on Walmart. Gainesville Police Department
On the way to the grocery store, Smith crashed into another fence and drove into a utility pole, knocking it down with a live wire before running into a CT meter, causing damage to the ground and snapping a light pole.
When he arrived at Walmart, Smith crashed the 72,000-pound machine into the wall of a loading dock and crashed into the side of the store causing “extensive exterior damage.”
Smith then allegedly ran away from the excavator and ran inside armed with a machete, but threw it away.
Police said Smith “physically resisted the officer and initially refused to put his hands behind his back.”
Smith is charged with six felonies and one misdemeanor with the most serious being first-degree grand larceny causing property damage estimated at more than $1,000. Gainesville Police Department
Businesses listed as victims of Smith’s crime told law enforcement the estimated property damage would be about $2 million.
Smith is charged with six felonies and one misdemeanor with the most serious being first-degree grand larceny causing property damage estimated at more than $1,000.
He also faces four counts of Criminal Damage to Property, all third-degree felonies, a count of felony armed trespass, and a misdemeanor for resisting an officer without violence.
After crashing into the south side of the grocery store, Smith ditched the excavator and ran inside armed with a machete, but threw it away. Gainesville Police Department
The novice backhoe operator has previously appeared in court several times for another count of third-degree grand larceny, according to Alachua County Court records.
Smith is being held in Alachua County while he awaits trial after making his initial court appearance on Tuesday.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
