A newspaper delivery route in Apple Valley was interrupted by an intoxicated man who told police he was “running from zombies,” prosecutors say.

Garrett Howard Hurlbut, 23, of Apple Valley was charged by summons Nov. 21 with stealing a motor vehicle after police say he made off with a Star Tribune delivery truck as the driver stepped inside a gas station.

According to the charges:

The delivery truck stopped at a Kwik Trip store on 145th Street West in Apple Valley about 1:17 a.m. Sept. 29. The driver walked inside to deliver papers, and a man later identified as Hurlbut was seen on surveillance video getting into the vehicle and driving off.

The truck later was found parked in the middle of the intersection of 160th Street and Cedar Avenue, about 1 1/2 miles south of the gas station.

Hurlbut was nearby. He smelled strongly of alcohol and registered a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.198 on a breath test, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08, according to the charges.

He “stated that he jumped or fell from the truck,” and “said he was running from zombies,” police said.

Hurlbut suffered lacerations on his head was taken to a hospital, where he made further statements about taking the truck because he was “afraid he was being chased.”

Hurlbut has no prior criminal history in Minnesota. His first court date is scheduled for Dec. 16.

Marino Eccher can be reached at 651-228-5421. Follow him at twitter.com/marinoeccher.