A man stole a piece of heavy equipment and drove it early Sunday morning through yards and streets in northeast Topeka's Oakland community, damaging property while forcing numerous homes to be evacuated, authorities said.

They said that after he turned that piece of equipment toward police, he was shot with non-lethal bean bag pellets and captured.

Shane Dee Funk, 46, was being held Sunday morning in the Shawnee County Jail, according to jail records.

Topeka police encountered Funk after being called shortly after midnight to the area of N.E. Lime and River Road, where residents reported construction equipment was being driven in the area, said police Capt. Colleen Stuart.

She said officers encountered a man in the 500 block of N.E. Lake driving a loader, a piece of heavy equipment used to load materials.

The loader was moving through yards and streets while damaging property, Stuart said.

"The occupant refused to stop for officers," she said. "Numerous residences in the loader's path were evacuated for safety purposes."

Officers set up a perimeter around the area involved to contain the loader, Stuart said.

"The occupant operating the loader turned it toward officers, forcing a tactical intervention option by way of a kinetic energy impact munition to slow the loader down," she said. "Once the loader stopped, officers were able to take the occupant into custody."

Topeka police have the capability to fire non-lethal bean bag pellets, which use kinetic energy impact to disable crime suspects.

Funk was treated at a Topeka hospital for minor injuries, then released, Stuart said.

He was then booked at 4 a.m. into the Shawnee County Jail, where records indicated he was being held in lieu of a $75,000 bond Sunday morning in connection with one felony count each of theft, criminal damage to property, aggravated assault to a law enforcement officer and fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement.

Funk also was being held in lieu of bonds totaling $3,000 on three outstanding Shawnee County warrants charging him with misdemeanors, according to jail records.

Funk appeared to have cuts to his face in a mug shot released Sunday morning by the jail.

Cindy Negrete wrote Sunday in a post beneath the Facebook version of this article that Topeka police did an amazing job stopping Funk and keeping innocent bystanders safe.

"All the officers I spoke to last night kept apologizing for the inconvenience of losing sleep," she wrote. "I let them know they was doing their job and keeping us safe!! Big THANK YOU to TPD!!!"

Residents of the block where police said they encountered Funk include John Alcala, a Democrat who represents the 57th District in the Kansas House of Representatives.

Alcala wasn't among those evacuated, he said in a text message Sunday morning.

Traffic remained blocked off Sunday on River Road between N.E. Chandler and N.E. Lake for a project in which heavy equipment was being used.

Information wasn't available Sunday about Funk's potential motive for committing the crimes.

The dollar amount of damages done hadn't been made public. But Funk was booked into the jail in connection with felony criminal damage, and Kansas statute requires damages to total more than $1,500 to be a felony.