ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 7 (UPI) -- A Florida man was arrested after he stole a front-end loader and led authorities on a chase for up to an hour-and-a-half, police say.

Donald John Clark, 32, was being held at the Pinellas County jail in St. Petersburg, Fla., on $32,000 bail for stealing a Volvo L110G -- a 20-ton, $250,000 front-end loader -- from a construction site Saturday before leading police on a chase that lasted over an hour.


After receiving a tip about a front-end loader being driven erratically, police attempted to pull over Clark, who ignored sirens and emergency lights. The Tampa Bay Times reports Clark hit curbs and ran stop signs as he cut through side streets and neighborhoods.

Police traced the movements of the front-end loader, which traveled at a top speed of 25 mph, but officers had few ways to stop the vehicle. When establishing police-car road blocks, officers were forced to make openings at the last minute as Clark charged toward them.

The vehicle eventually ran out of fuel 90 minutes later and police arrested Clark, who has a history of driving with a suspended license, disorderly conduct and driving under the influence. In 2012 he served jail time for a DUI.

In September a similar incident occurred in Jasper, Fla., when a drunk man stole a Bobcat front-end loader and went on a rampage causing $9,800 in property damage.