A Kansas man is in custody and facing numerous charges after he allegedly stole an excavator from a construction site and went on a joyride through a quiet residential neighborhood in Topeka.
Authorities were forced to evacuate several homes in the path of the heavy machinery after the driver, identified as 46-year-old Shane Funk, refused to pull over. Officers established a perimeter, hoping to limit the amount of damage Funk was causing. At one point, he started driving towards a group of officers, forcing them to open fire using non-lethal bean bag pellets.
“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,” Captain Colleen Stuart said. “Once the loader stopped, officers were able to take the occupant into custody.”
Funk is facing felony charges of theft, criminal damage to property, aggravated assault to a law enforcement officer and fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement. He is being held in jail in lieu of a $75,000 bond.
Officials did not say how much damage Funk caused or why he decided to steal the heavy machinery and drive it through the neighborhood in the middle of the night.
Photo: Shawnee County Department of Corrections