GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A disgruntled former employee is accused of stealing a 75,000-pound tractor and leading police on a chase through Gwinnett County before crashing.
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Channel 2′s Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson was along Singleton Road Monday, where video shows the moment another tractor toppled a stolen one after a crash that lasted for miles and shut down the road for hours.
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Before the tractor ended up next to Christopher Idrogo’s neighborhood, there was a slow-speed chase between police and the tractor through Gwinnett County.
“It lasted so long because you could hear the sirens, but we didn’t physically see it until we got there,” Idrogo said. “You don’t expect to see a giant bulldozer flipped on its side.”
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The incident started when Gwinnett police showed up to a waste management location on Corley Road in unincorporated Norcross on Saturday. That’s where they say they found an ex-employee joy-riding the 75,000-pound front-loader that he stole.
Police tried to stop 38-year-old Eddie Sanchez, but he ended up leading them on a five-mile chase. The chase ended with an employee in another tractor took advice from police and pushed the stolen tractor, causing it to flip.
“It looked like another guy was chasing him and flipped him over,” Idrogo said. “We know he’s gonna have a better story than us.”
Police arrested Sanchez and learned that he was fired last September. Employees told police the tractors can top about 30 mph. Police said Sanchez had been to his old job last week and did something similar, but never left the property.
It’s unclear what charges Sanchez is facing. He remains in jail.
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