A man who stole a 24-tonne bulldozer and went on a three-hour rampage through Wolverhampton, damaging street signs and road surfaces, has been jailed for 18 months. Darren Coffey, 41, of Harborne Park Road, Birmingham, stole the Caterpillar D6 in Staffordshire on November 8 last year. He was carrying two petrol cans and heading to Willenhall to 'settle a dispute'.
Incident Details
Coffey called the police control room and stated he intended to burn down a property on New Road, Willenhall. West Midlands Police deployed dogs, drones, response officers, and traffic officers to intercept him. The National Police Air Service provided aerial surveillance, tracking the bulldozer's movements from above.
Attempts to Stop
In Moseley Village, Wolverhampton, a heavy goods vehicle was used to block the carriageway. However, Coffey struck the lorry and forced his way through the static road block, driving onto the wrong side of the road. He also reversed the bulldozer at speed toward multiple police cars, but officers managed to evade the machine.
Nearly three hours after the initial alert, Coffey brought the bulldozer to a stop at 8:15 pm and was arrested.
Court Proceedings
During an appearance at Wolverhampton Crown Court on April 29, Coffey pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, failing to stop, driving without insurance, driving without a license, and threatening to damage or destroy property. He also admitted two counts of criminal damage, drink driving, aggravated vehicle taking, and vehicle damage under £5,000.
In addition to the 18-month prison sentence, Coffey was banned from driving for three years and nine months.
Police Statement
Following the sentencing, PC Rodgers of West Midlands Police said: 'Coffey’s actions back in November put innocent members of the public at risk of serious harm and caused a large amount of damage to street furniture and roads. This incident saw teams from across the force work together alongside our colleagues from NPAS to try to bring Coffey’s dangerous actions to a stop. Thankfully after three hours the incident came to an end, and officers took him into custody. But this whole incident placed a lot of people at risk, so I hope that this sentence and time in prison will give him some time to think about the sheer devastation that could have happened due to his actions on that night.'
