Authorities in Evansville say a beer delivery run turned into a high-speed mess on March 27, when a 41-year-old man allegedly stole a Bud Light semi, led deputies on a chase into Posey County, rammed a sheriff’s patrol vehicle and drove off the roadway. The deputy who had just deployed stop sticks managed to get clear without injury, and officers ultimately used pepperball rounds to remove the driver after he refused repeated commands to exit the cab. The suspect was treated for minor injuries at a local hospital and has since been taken into custody.
According to the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office, deputies first spotted the stolen semi heading westbound on Diamond Avenue near Resurrection Drive before it continued into neighboring Posey County. The agency says the collision caused extensive damage to the patrol unit and notes that the case remains under investigation. In its initial release, the sheriff’s office listed attempted murder among the preliminary charges against the driver.
Body-camera Footage Shows a Near Miss
Body-worn camera video released by the sheriff’s office shows just how close this came to being far worse. The footage captures a deputy laying down stop sticks and then sprinting away only moments before the semi plows into a parked cruiser, matching descriptions in local reporting. WFIE quoted Deputy Jared Zwilling as saying the video made the encounter look tighter than he remembered: “I thought I was a lot further away…10 yards maybe.” The same footage shows deputies surrounding the cab and firing PepperBall rounds to get the driver to comply and step out.
Charges, Bond and Next Hearing
The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office identified the driver as Randall Baker and says he is facing preliminary counts of attempted murder, auto theft, criminal recklessness, resisting law enforcement, reckless operation of a tractor-trailer and operating while intoxicated. A judge later set Baker’s bond at $10,000,000 and scheduled his next court date for April 15, according to CBS Chicago. Prosecutors have not publicly filed additional evidence beyond the body-camera footage and the sheriff’s written account.
Other Details Reported
Local outlets report that the semi was taken while a driver was unloading at a liquor store on North Governor Street and that Baker’s blood-alcohol content was measured at about 0.103, over the legal limit, per local reporting. WFIE and other stations also highlighted a separate surveillance clip that spread online, showing the beer truck barreling down a residential street with multiple patrol cars in pursuit. In its release, the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office thanked partner agencies and the beer distributor for their assistance…