A Nebraska man went on a rampage with a stolen compact track loader January 14, ramming multiple vehicles – including a police car – and causing over $100,000 in damage.
Samuel Peyrot, 36, of Lincoln was taken into custody at gunpoint following the crime spree. He was arrested on suspicion of second-degree assault, second-degree assault of an officer and criminal mischief.
The Bobcat compact track loader was owned by Peyrot’s employer. According to reports, he trailered it to the scene of the destruction using a company-owned truck and trailer.
Lincoln Police say the incident began around 2:40 p.m. at a U-Stop convenience store, where Peyrot had transported the loader to. Peyrot proceeded to get in the loader and hit several vehicles at the convenience store and an adjacent parking lot before driving the loader one-third of a mile to a nearby Home Depot, where he hit several more vehicles.
Peyrot rammed the loader into the responding police car, which had an officer inside. The officer pulled his gun on Peyrot but did not fire it during the arrest.
Bystander Dario Briseno Diaz told the Lincoln Journal Star he thought the CTL was “just plowing snow” at first, until he saw Peyrot crash into a truck near the entrance of a Home Depot and start ramming parked cars. "It was scary," he said. " ... Like holy crap, this is happening. You don't expect it."
Peyrot also damaged street signs, an ATM, two sheds and the entrance of a liquor store. One man inside a vehicle that was struck suffered minor injuries.
According to an arrest affidavit and report from KLKN-TV, investigators suspected Peyrot of being “under the influence of drugs, due to his erratic behavior.”
Peyrot’s bond was set at $100,000 by a Lancaster County judge, court documents state. If convicted, he faces up to 80 years in prison.
Watch the full report from KLKN-TV Channel 8 Lincoln here.
