Former Employee Arrested After Joyride on Stolen Construction Vehicle in Norcross

A former employee of a local waste management business found himself in hot water on Saturday morning after allegedly stealing a large construction vehicle and embarking on a wild joyride through Norcross.

The incident unfolded around 11:00 a.m. when officers from the West Precinct responded to a dispute call at a waste management business on Corley Road in unincorporated Norcross. Upon arrival, officers discovered that a former employee had absconded with a massive yellow front loader and was careening around the property.

Despite attempts to halt the unauthorized joyride, the suspect, identified as 38-year-old Eddie Sanchez from Delaware, defiantly navigated the 75,000-pound vehicle onto Corley Road and beyond. The pursuit saw Sanchez zigzagging through traffic along Jimmy Carter Boulevard, eventually culminating in a dramatic showdown on Singleton Road and Robin Hill Drive, approximately five miles from the scene of the initial incident.

With officers from the Norcross Police Department and the Georgia State Patrol joining the pursuit, the fleeing front loader was finally intercepted and overturned by another construction vehicle deployed by law enforcement.

Sanchez, who had been terminated from the business in September 2023, was promptly taken into custody and transported to a local hospital for evaluation before being booked into the Gwinnett County Jail.

Authorities have levied a slew of charges against Sanchez, including criminal trespass, theft by taking, fleeing or attempting to elude, reckless driving, criminal damage to property 2nd degree, and obstruction of a law enforcement officer.

Remarkably, amidst the chaos, no motorists sustained injuries, and no vehicles or patrol cars were damaged.

The bizarre escapade marks yet another chapter in a troubling saga involving the disgruntled former employee, who had previously engaged in similar antics on the business premises days prior to the incident.

Investigations into the incident are ongoing as authorities seek to unravel the motive behind Sanchez’s audacious joyride.