Auto Yard Staff Catch Thief in Car, Use Forklift to Trap Suspect 20 Feet Up, Until Police Arrive

Courtesy of Akron Police Department

Folks in Ohio are lowering the boom on crime. Or raising it, rather.

A forklift driver at an auto wreck yard in Akron caught a man who had broken into one of their SUVs. The intruder was immediately met by some vigilante justice.

Taking matters into their own hands, the driver last month used the lift to raise the car 20 feet into the air before the suspect could escape, trapping him inside the car until police arrived.

The business, Arlington Auto & Truck Wrecking, has long fought an uphill battle against thieves breaking in to steal catalytic converters, windows, and other salvage parts.

A forklift at Arlington Auto and Truck Wrecking raises a car with a suspected thief still inside 20 feet into the air until police arrive. Courtesy of Akron Police Department

When staff caught the man this time, they'd finally had enough. They found him passed out in the backseat, and before he could act, the driver had the forks under and lifted him 20 feet into the air with the loader.

The bizarre take on a citizen’s arrest was followed up with a gut-splitting phone call to the emergency services and, later, body camera footage captured by Akron Police at the scene.

The police station released the emergency call to The Epoch Times.

“We’re having a lot of trouble here with people stealing stuff and everything,” staff told Akron 911. “We got a guy that’s passed out or crashed in one of our vehicles in our yard.

“And I got the vehicle picked up with the loader, and he’s probably 20 feet in the air now.

“I refuse to drop this thing and let him out and run.”

Laughing, the operator said, “Wonderful! That’s the greatest thing I’ve ever heard!

“We will get somebody out to you.”

The Akron 911 operator requested a description. The suspect wore a mask and could not be identified, staff said.

(Left) The forklift lowers the car with the suspect still inside after Akron Police arrive; (Right) Arlington Police take 26-year-old Alexander Funk into custody after he got out of the car at Arlington Auto and Truck Wrecking. Courtesy of Akron Police Department

Soon, Akron police arrived and the driver lowered the boom.

Body camera footage from the yard shows police apprehending the man inside the car at gunpoint. He was identified as 26-year-old Alexander Funk.

Staff said they recognized Mr. Funk and had caught him twice before. The first time they let him off with a warning, and he escaped the second time.

Body camera footage taken by police shows the suspect being taken into custody after being trapped in a car, 20 feet in the air, at Arlington Auto & Truck Wrecking. (Courtesy of Akron Police Department)

On his person, the officers found a sawzall cutting tool, sawzall blades, and other hand tools, 19 News reported, which he admitted were for “copper.”

The suspect has a criminal history, with convictions for trespassing, drug abuse, and entering a condemned building, the outlet reported.

Mr. Funk would face new charges in court for trespassing and possession of criminal tools.

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