Suspected thieves throw stolen chainsaws at police
DULUTH, Ga. — Two suspected hardware store thieves who hurled stolen chainsaws at a pursuing patrol car during a high-speed chase through Duluth are still on the run, according to police.
Investigators for the Duluth Police Department are working to enhance video taken by the patrol car's dashboard camera, hoping to identify the pair that tossed stolen chainsaws from a minivan hurtling down city streets.
Two suspects were seen driving away from Howard Brothers True Value Hardware Store around 1:30 a.m. on Monday by Sgt. Steve Walker, who heard the store's alarm and investigated.
Walker chased the suspects' vehicle at speeds approaching 60 mph as it veered onto the wrong side of the roadway, narrowly missing a truck.
Finally, the two men stopped the van at the end of Seagull Drive and abandoned the vehicle. They ran off into the woods and were not apprehended.
Police found nine weed-eaters and two more chainsaws in the back of the van. Some of the outdoor equipment had been taken from a Tucker, Ga., hardware store in addition to the items taken from Howard Brothers. The van the fleeing suspects drove had been reported stolen a few days earlier in DeKalb County.
The total cost of the merchandise stolen was about $19,000. One of the hurled chainsaws whacked the patrol car causing about $3,000 in damage.