You may be familiar with IAA (Insurance Auto Auctions) for its temptingly cheap, but varyingly broken vehicles. Two brazen thieves were tempted enough to try and steal a Dodge Charger and a Chevrolet Camaro from the auction house’s Ohio lot this week.
The Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office reports that it received a call from IAA on Thursday at 8:15 a.m. An employee said that they opened the gates to the auction storage yard that morning, and two vehicles, a white 2020 Dodge Charger Scat Pack and a dark gray 2016 Chevrolet Camaro, sped out of the lot.
Police caught up with the vehicles in Uhrichsville and initiated a pursuit. Surrounding law enforcement was notified, and the chase nearly ended in tragedy when the driver of the white Dodge lost control and crashed.
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Photos of the accident reveal how big of an impact it was, as the Dodge Charger is nearly unrecognizable. The performance sedan wound up in a field after apparently breaking through a telephone pole near the road.
Police claim their initial investigation suggests that the car was traveling at 163 mph (262 km/h) before it crashed. The driver suffered injuries in the crash, but he was treated at the Mercy Medical Center in Canton, Ohio, and released. He is now being held in Tuscarawas County Jail pending charges.
Meanwhile, the Camaro came to a less destructive end. Police say that after losing the car in Coshocton County, it was later discovered, abandoned, in a Walmart parking lot. The driver of the vehicle has not yet been found.
Both vehicles have now been impounded and are being processed for physical evidence. The driver of the Charger is facing felony auto theft and fleeing and eluding charges. He may also face charges related to driving and trespassing.
