Photo by Joseph Madden/Wikimedia Commons

A man in south Iceland had entirely too much to drink, taking control of an excavator and prompting a police chase yesterday.

RÚV reports that police were called to Biskupstunga in south Iceland yesterday afternoon, responding to a call that a man was on a rampage behind the wheel of a two tonne excavator near his home. Police ordered the man to stop, but he ignored them, taking the machine instead up Skálholtsvegur and into Þjórsárdal.

Once on Skálholtsvegur, police attempted to block the berserker, but he forced police units off the road. Police then opted to take more decisive action in stopping him, and in so doing, the excavator tipped over.

The man was taken by helicopter to a Reykjavík hospital. He is reportedly conscious although no other information about his condition has been disclosed at the time of this writing. Police were reportedly unharmed.

Inexplicably, the technical division of the capital area police were called in to assist with the investigation of the scene of the crime.

UPDATE, 13:58: DV now reports that the berserker in question is Ingvar Örn Karlsson, who is running in second seat for the party Nýtt Afl (possibly the successor to the far-right party of the same name which merged with the Liberal Party in 2007, or possibly just a completely different party with the same name) for the Bláskógabyggð region in south Iceland. He is also reportedly a firefighter. Eyjólfur Óli Jónsson, the fourth candidate on Nýtt Afl’s list, told reporters that the news came as a shock to him, and that the party will be meeting tonight to discuss what steps to take next.

UPDATE, May 15: Nýtt Afl has asked Ingvar Örn to vacate his candidacy from their list, Vísir reports.