UNBELIEVABLE: Two men only made it a block in brand new stolen Ford Escape… [BIZARRE VIDEO]
HYANNIS – A man who had been behaving strangely by walking around downtown backwards was later pulled over behind the wheel of a stolen brand new Ford Escape. It was a just a block from where it was parked and he didn’t even come close to escaping…
At about 1:00am, Barnstable Police Officer Christopher Botsford was on routine patrol on Bassett Lane when he stopped a vehicle with no license plates.
HN was nearby and immediately started heading in that direction when Patrolman Botsford asked for backup. An HN camera was rolling when backup arrived and the driver and passenger of the vehicle were immediately taken into custody.
The car they had been driving in was a brand new Ford Escape which had been parked about a block away inside of a fenced-in storage parking area on Bassett Lane.
Police discovered that the new car still had its keys in the ignition… and that it had a sign on the mirror which indicated it may have been recently sold.
The driver, Michael Hirocke, age 59, currently homeless in Hyannis, was arrested and charged with Larceny of a Motor Vehicle, B & E into a Motor Vehicle in the Nighttime, OUI (2nd offense), Operating After Suspension of a License (for the previous OUI), Operating to Endanger, and Operating Without Headlights…
The passenger, Patrick Ritchie, age 55, currently homeless in Hyannis, was arrested and charged with B & E into a Motor Vehicle in the Nighttime, and Larceny of Motor Vehicle (joint venture)…
According to Officer Christopher Botsford, the two had been looking for a place to get out of the cold and spend the evening. They were checking vehicles for unlocked doors when they came upon the Ford Escape. Once inside the Escape, they noticed the keys and decided it would be a good idea to take it for a spin. It was a good thing Patrolman Botsford spotted the vehicle driving without its lights on before it could get very far… both men were intoxicated and things could have turned out much worse for the unsuspecting public…
The following video is an unusual one. It begins with HN footage of Hirocke behaving strangely by walking around the Winter Street area backwards earlier in the evening. It appeared unusual and HN was investigating another nearby call and thought maybe Hirocke was somehow involved. The video then continues to show officers later arresting Hirocke and Ritchie after they both had just been inside the stolen vehicle.
[Press play… Select HD in settings and enlarge player for best quality…]
