DETROIT (WWJ) - A suspect riding a bike wound up behind bars on Wednesday night after he allegedly stole tow truck in Detroit and crashed into the side of a building.
WWJ's Charlie Langton said the trouble began when a tow truck driver was picking up a vehicle the evening of Feb.8 at Holbrook Auto Parts on 6 Mile Road and Woodward Ave.
The driver had left the truck door open as he hooked up the vehicle when a man riding by on a bicycle saw a moment of opportunity and seized it.
The suspect allegedly hopped into the vehicle and tried to take off to the bewilderment of the tow truck driver.
“I went to hook it up from the back, and I see my truck moving,” Lou, the tow truck driver, told WDIV. “Then I see somebody in it, and I say, ‘What the heck is going on?’”
The thief peeled out of the parking lot and made it about a block before he quickly lost control of the truck and crashed into the side of the auto parts store, Langton reported.
The suspect tried to run away from the scene, but bystanders nearby jumped into action, and grab him before he can get away.
Langton said the suspect was held by citizens until cops arrived on scene. The man was arrested and remains behind bars on Thursday morning, Langton said.
Charges are pending as the case remains under investigation. No other details were released.