SPOKANE, Wash. — A 40-year-old man was arrested after attempting to steal heavy construction machinery from company property around 10 a.m. on Nov. 3.
According to the Spokane Police Department, officers received a call about a man named Matthew Cook trespassing on company property at the 4400 block of East Trent.
When SPD arrived at the scene, Cook was attempting to drive away in an estimated 17,000-pound rubber-tracked crawler while ignoring police directives to exit.
According to SPD, an officer noticed the crawler did not have a lockable throttle, meaning that if the man’s hand came off the joystick, the crawler would stop.
With concern of Cook causing more harm to property or people, an officer jumped into the moving crawler and removed Cook, per SPD. The crawler stopped, and police arrested Matthew Cook for 2nd Degree Burglary, Theft of a Motor Vehicle, and Felony Malicious Mischief.
