Machete-Wielding Trucker Gets Highway Shut Down

Standoff ended without injuries
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jan 30, 2019 7:21 PM CST
Machete-Wielding Trucker in Hours-Long Highway Standoff
This photo provided by the Jackson County Sheriff's Office shows Michael Troy Mack, 33, of Baton Rouge, La.   (Jackson County Sheriff's Office via AP)

An interstate highway through Mississippi was shut down for hours Wednesday after a truck driver armed with a machete sparked a standoff with police, but the incident ended without injuries when he was finally arrested, the AP reports. News outlets reported officers used tear gas to force the suspect out of the truck. The Mississippi Highway Patrol said there were no injuries. The situation began shortly after 9am when authorities in Alabama gave chase to an 18-wheeler after a report from a truck stop about an 18-wheeler intentionally striking an ambulance on Interstate 10. EMS personnel told investigators they saw the tractor-trailer driving recklessly and contacted authorities.

Whenever emergency personnel approached, the driver would get angry and veer toward them, causing damage to the ambulance, Mobile County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Lori Myles said.The chase continued into Mississippi, coming to an end at mile marker 61, about 16 miles west of the Mississippi-Alabama state line. As police negotiated with the driver, the interstate had to be shut down, causing major traffic delays across south Mississippi. It was re-opened just before 2pm after the man was arrested. In custody is Michael Troy Mack, 33, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He faces one count of felony pursuit in Jackson County plus two counts of attempted second-degree assault, five counts of reckless endangerment, and three counts of criminal mischief in Mobile County. Myles said three civilian vehicles also were hit by the truck before it left Alabama.

(More weird crimes stories.)

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