In Boulder, Colorado, a man named Richmond Takashi Johnson was taken into custody on suspicion of stealing a fire truck immediately after his detention ended. According to information from the Boulder Police Department, Johnson was initially arrested on third-degree trespassing charges. After his release, while fire crews were responding to another emergency call, Johnson got into the fire truck and drove it for about a mile.
During a multi-agency chase involving the Boulder County Sheriff's Office and police teams, officers used spike strips on the highway. When Johnson lost control of the vehicle due to the flat tires, he got out and started running. After a brief foot chase, Johnson was caught and faced nine new charges. These charges include resisting a public officer, heavy vehicle theft, reckless driving, and property damage.
Damage occurred to the fire truck and some police vehicles during the incident, and one police officer was slightly injured. Johnson is reported to have an extensive criminal record. Authorities expressed relief that there were no serious injuries in the incident.