Watch: Soldier Steals Armored Military Vehicle, Chased By Police In Cars, Helicopter

An armored vehicle was stolen from Fort Pickett, in Blackstone, Virginia, on Tuesday and driven down the highway and city streets, shocking bystanders along the way.

Initial reports suggested that at 7:40 p.m. EDT a “tank” was stolen by a soldier, who had gone rogue with it. Later, videos of the incident captured by civilians and posted on social media proved that the “tank” in question was a weaponless armored personnel carrier which was being chased by at least 20 police cars and a helicopter.

The Virginia Army National Guard base is situated in Fort Pickett. According to its website: “Fort Pickett Maneuver Training Center is located in Blackstone, VA approximately 40 miles southwest of Richmond. Fort Pickett is an Army National Guard training facility serving soldiers from regional National Guard, active military units from other installations, and soldiers from all branches of military. Fort Pickett is committed to providing premier training and quality support to our customers all year round.”

“Fort Pickett’s mission is providing realistic and challenging training to our customers, maintains physical security and force protection of our facility in support of soldier readiness and deployment missions. Fort Pickett strives to support our customers through innovation and partnership, while fostering balance,” the website added.

After being stolen, the vehicle made its way from Nottoway County to Richmond. It traveled east on Route 460 and then north on Interstate 95 at a maximum speed of about 40 mph. The driver got off the interstate at the Boulevard exit and drove onto Broad Street and past the intersection of Broad and Belvidere Street, causing police to frantically try and clear the streets of any traffic, local newspaper Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.

No crashes or injuries were reported as the vehicle came to a stop two hours after being pursued.

“As of 9:40 p.m. [EDT], the driver of the armored personnel carrier had stopped the vehicle and surrendered to Virginia State Police. The vehicle stopped at East Broad Street and 11th Street in the City of Richmond,” said a state police spokesperson.

Virginia State Police Spokesperson Corrine Geller said in a statement: “No crashes or injuries occurred during the course or as a result of this incident. The adult, male driver of the vehicle is now in state police custody and the incident is under investigation. Charges are pending.”

The name of the suspect has not been revealed yet, although State Police Sgt. Keeli has confirmed the driver was an active-duty “military soldier,” who lived in Fan district of Richmond. Ned Oliver, Richmond Times-Dispatch reporter, posted a picture of the aftermath of the incident where armed police officers stood guard around the armored vehicle.

The reporter also added information about how the suspect was brought down.

“Witnesses say he drove the vehicle up on the median, stopped, got out and started walking around. Police sent a dog to attack him and shot him with a taser and he was taken into custody. The chase began more than 60 miles away in Blackstone,” Oliver tweeted. Keeli has, however, refused to confirm whether the suspect was indeed tased before the arrest.