Police: Man uses forklift to tear through fence, steal car in Covington

A forklift allegedly was used to tear this hole in this fence Tuesday night, police said.

Credit: Channel 2 Action News

Credit: Channel 2 Action News

A forklift allegedly was used to tear this hole in this fence Tuesday night, police said.

A man got away with a stolen car in Covington Tuesday night, and the thief used an unusual method to escape: a forklift.

This is the man police are searching for.

Credit: Channel 2 Action News

icon to expand image

Credit: Channel 2 Action News

Covington police are searching for the  man who hopped on a forklift and used it to break through a metal fence at Ginn Chevrolet, Channel 2 Action News reported.

“First time that I can recall where somebody used a forklift to basically knock a hole and an escape route,” Covington police Capt. Ken Malcolm told Channel 2.

This is a screenshot of surveillance video that shows a man driving a forklift towards a fence to break through it.

Credit: Channel 2 Action News

icon to expand image

Credit: Channel 2 Action News

Police said he spent nearly an hour walking through the parking lot to pick out the right vehicle to steal, Channel 2 reported.

“He just was basically shopping for a vehicle,” Malcolm told the news station.

He settled on a 2017 Ford Mustang that had been brought in for repairs, Channel 2 reported. Then he broke into the shop and found the keys for the forklift.

“This is obviously someone who had some knowledge on how to operate a forklift and was able to utilize it to gain his escape,” Malcolm told the news station.

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact Covington police at 770-786-7605.

In other news: