A soldier in America was arrested last Tuesday (June 5) after he stole an Army tank and lead police on a two-hour chase in Virginia,. It is believed he was under the influence of drugs during the ordeal.
Lieutenant Joshua Philip Yabut illegally commandeered what appeared to be an armoured personnel carrier (APC) from a National Guard Base in Virginia.
In what sounds like something straight out of a Grand Theft Auto mission, Lt. Yabut was said to be high on some unknown substances as he led police in Virginia on his 60-mile joy ride while posting a series of unusual comments from his Twitter account.
He also tweeted a picture of himself outside of the 74.75 in (189.9 cm) in his army gear, including his helmet, while throwing up the popular West Coast gang sign – a popular motif in Los Angeles. Because of the size of the vehicle Lt. Yabut could only hit speeds of 40 miles per hour.
However, this did give him time post some bizarre comments on Twitter such as asking ‘where is this damn water buffalo’ and ‘all i wanna do is get an anime wife.’. Since being arrested his account was suspended.
According to CNN, Yabut is a first lieutenant who has more than 11 years of service under his belt. He served in Afghanistan from 2008 to 2009 with the Illinois National Guard.
Hours before he embarked on the chase, he posted a tweet which read ‘thinking about putting my packet in tbh.’, as reported in the MailOnline.
The chase is reported to have started at 7:55 pm and although the vehicle was not armed, Lt. Yabut did have his service weapon on him. However, WTVR reports the Lieutenant did not have any ammunition on his person.
Yabut led a squad of police cars through the State’s capital of Richmond, passing through the downtown area and towards the Capitol building.
Police officers in Virginia were armed as they guarded the entrance of Capitol Square in case of a volatile stand off.
The chase ended at 9:40 pm and fortunately no injuries were recorded during the incident, however the Twittersphere was quick to make light of the situation (as always), comparing the chase to a scene out of GTA.
Yabut drove the military vehicle onto a median and was quickly surrounded by police. As he clamoured out of the M577’s roof hatch he dropped to his knees. But things took an even stranger turn when the soldier refused to comply with commands, therefore resulting in him being tasered by the State Police.
Speaking to WTVR, Virginia National Guard spokesperson Cotton Puryear said:
The unit was conducting routine training at Fort Pickett when [Yabut] drove away in the armored personnel carrier.
The vehicle was not equipped with any weapons, but the soldier did have his personal weapon with him but had no ammunition.
In press statement, Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia said:
We are extremely grateful that there were no injuries as a result of this incident, and we appreciate the great work of the Virginia State Police, Richmond Police Department and other law enforcement and first responders who safely brought this situation to a close.
We have initiated our own internal investigation, and we will determine appropriate actions once the investigation is complete.
Lt. Yabut was taken into custody in downtown Richmond just before 10pm and is currently being held at the Richmond county jail. He is now looking at various charges due to the impending case.
