A semi truck hauling $1 million worth of X-Box gaming systems was stolen from a truck stop on Thursday, leading police on a chase that concluded on a dead-end road.
The incident happened on May 31st. The big rig was stolen from a truck stop in Louisville, Kentucky, but the chase didn’t end until just outside of Clarksville, Indiana.
According to WDRB News, the semi truck was stolen out of a Louisville, Kentucky parking lot but was equipped with a tracking system, so as soon as the unnamed driver realized what had happened, he contacted police and his company, Taz trucking, to help him track the stolen rig down.
The truck thief headed north on US Highway 31, eventually coming to the Second Street Bridge, where police were lying in wait.
“Once I was able to identify that it was the semi we were looking for, I turned around and tried to initiate a traffic stop,” said Officer John Miller.
But the truck thief didn’t stop, and instead tried to make a run for it.
Eventually, the suspect led police down a dead end street and exited the truck, attempting to escape on foot.
“I actually pursued him across the interstate, and we were able to apprehend the subject at a nearby All Start trucking/leasing place behind Walmart,” Miller explained.
It wasn’t until the suspect, Magdiel Fleites Sanchez, was taken into custody that police realized what was inside the tractor trailer- $1 million worth of X-box gaming consoles.
“The semi was carrying Microsoft material that was later identified as Xbox consoles that had a total value on that trailer of $1 million,” Miller said.
Police praised Taz Trucking for including a tracking device in their rigs, but the company says that they knew just what they were doing when they installed the tracking system.
“Just to make sure that if any of our equipment was ever stolen, that our customers … would not suffer a loss, and we would be able to recover it quickly,” said Dexter Clark, Office Manager for Taz Trucking.
Sanchez, who posses a Florida Driver’s License, has already been released from jail on bond, but is currently facing charges in both Kentucky and Indiana.