Man sips wine in forklift as its driver flees officers in downtown Auburn, police say
Two men suspected of stealing a forklift and driving Sunday in downtown Auburn were arrested after the vehicle smashed into the fence of a business, police said.
It all started at 2 a.m. when police received a report of a stolen forklift at Lincoln Way and High Street, linked to the Western State Endurance Run.
Officers spotted the forklift rumbling down Lincoln Way towards Harrison Avenue. A man controlled the machinery while his companion swigged wine from a bottle in the passenger’s seat, the Auburn Police Department said online.
Police said they tried to stop the forklift, but the men fled on foot. The abandoned forklift then began to roll back and crushed a fence.
One man was arrested on suspicion of possessing a stolen vehicle, resisting arrest and driving under the influence. Another man was arrested on suspicion of possessing a stolen vehicle and resisting arrest. Both men are no longer in jail, according to online jail logs.
The Western States Endurance Run is called by organizers the world’s oldest 100-mile race. It begins in Olympic Valley and ends in Auburn.
