6/4/24 Knightstown, IN – Man Steals Buck Creek Fire Brush Truck – Pulls In Gas Station With Red Lights Flashing – Asks Cop For Directions – He Was In A Child’s Sweater And Flip Flops – Police Chase – Road Block Captures Him

June 4, 2024

www.fox59.com

A Knightstown police officer was standing in a gas station waiting to purchase a cup of coffee when a Buck Creek fire department truck pulled in with red lights flashing.

Out of the truck hopped an unusual-looking firefighter, dressed in a “child-sized sweater” and flip-flops, according to the officer.

“Which way is Naptown?” he reportedly asked in a slurred voice.

The officer pointed, just west on U.S. 40.

The man hopped back in the red Ford fire truck, the type commonly referred to as “brush trucks” or “grass trucks,” and took off.

A police report continues to detail what happened next with the Knightstown officer realizing something wasn’t right and pursuing after the fire truck.

The pursuit turned into a high-speed chase as the fire truck barrelled down U.S. 40, hitting speeds upward of 100 miles per hour, according to the officer.

Both Henry and Hancock County deputies joined in the pursuit, making for a strange sight for passersby as multiple police cruisers flew down the highway in pursuit of a fire truck.

Ultimately, officers blocked off U.S. 40 with their cruisers and caused the driver of the fire truck to come to a stop just in front of the Hancock County Jail.

Thomas G. Longstreet, 45, who is reportedly homeless, was identified as the driver of the stolen truck.

Buck Creek Township Fire Department confirmed the brush truck was stolen from their department and supplied the police with video that reportedly showed the theft.

Police said that after being arrested, Longstreet said, “dumb@** cops left it unlocked and keys in it.” Longstreet then claimed to be the mayor in addition to claiming to be a cop.

Longstreet is charged with resisting arrest using a vehicle, a Level 6 felony, and impersonating a public servant, also a Level 6 felony. He also faces one misdemeanor count of reckless driving.