Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Indiana Man Charged After Stolen Bud Light Semi Slams Into Deputy’s Cruiser

Body-camera video underscores the danger deputies faced as they confronted the driver in a damaged semi at the end of the chase.

Overview

  • A Bud Light–branded tractor-trailer reported stolen from Evansville was spotted by Vanderburgh County deputies, and the driver refused to stop.
  • Deputies say a patrol car was struck when a deputy moved to deploy stop sticks, which are spiked strips used to deflate a vehicle’s tires.
  • The semi veered into a field, where body-camera video shows deputies surrounding the cab and firing pepperball rounds, a nonlethal irritant, to force compliance.
  • Deputies took 41-year-old Randall Baker into custody and identified charges that include attempted murder, auto theft, criminal recklessness, resisting law enforcement, reckless operation of a tractor-trailer, and driving while intoxicated.
  • Authorities say the deputy was not hurt, the patrol car suffered heavy damage, and the investigation continues into a pursuit made riskier by the size and weight of a commercial truck.