Employee chases man accused of stealing $42K truck during test drive

GASTONIA, NC (WSOC) — The man accused of stealing a brand new truck while taking it on a test drive was taken into custody following a massive search in the middle of a Gastonia neighborhood Friday morning.

Police said the suspect asked for a test drive at the Toyota of Gastonia but drove off with the $42,000 Tacoma before the dealer could return with the temporary tag.

An employee chased after the truck, following it up and down Interstate 85, calling 911.

The suspect stopped in a neighborhood, got out of the truck and ran. Responding officers fanned out across the community with their guns drawn, looking under homes and searching backyards.

“They told me, ‘You in front of the white SUV, step out,’ with like AKs pointed at my face,” said Derrick Walker, who lives in the area.

Channel 9 was there when officers took one man into custody a short time later on Modena Street, just a few blocks away.

Officers said the man looked like he had been crawling in a creek.

That man’s name has not been released and police have not yet said what charges he could be facing.