A suspect identified as Michael Stevens II, 38, Abingdon, Md., was charged after allegedly leading police on chase in a stolen 5-ton military cargo vehicle. Photo Courtesy Harford, Md., County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook
May 13 (UPI) — A man was in custody Saturday in Maryland after allegedly stealing a 5-ton military vehicle from a private residence and leading police on a chase down an interstate highway, causing several crashes.
Michael Stevens II, 38, Abingdon, Md., faces charges of motor vehicle theft, two counts of first-degree assault, two counts of second-degree assault and failing to obey a lawful order in the wake of the Friday incident, according to the Harford County, Md., Sheriff’s office.
Authorities said Stevens, shortly after having been released from the detention center in connection with another matter, stole an M923A1 military cargo truck weighing 5 tons from a residence in Bel Air, Md.
After the owner called in the theft, the vehicle spotted on a local road before turning onto Interstate 95 about 20 miles northeast of Baltimore.
Sheriff’s deputies and other law enforcement agencies pursued the truck down highway, failing multiple times to halt it by using stop sticks. The driver, later identified as Stevens, finally stopped in Baltimore and fled the vehicle on foot before being apprehended, authorities said.
Despite Stevens “crashing into multiple civilian vehicles” during the pursuit, there were no injuries to him, citizens or law enforcement, they added.