Man tased off roof of train following police pursuit of stolen semi truck

A man was tased and forcibly removed from the roof of a crashed train after stealing a semi truck and leading police on an extensive chase in Ohio very early on Sunday morning. 

The incident occurred on the morning of July 18th in Portsmouth. 

According to ABC 8 News, 39-year-old Maxwell J. Wiley stole a semi truck near Broadway Street, but was unable to drive it and so struck a light pole, causing a tree to catch fire and prompting witnesses to contact police. Officers were able to locate the rig and pursued Wiley, but he refused to stop and instead plowed through the east end of Portsmouth, leaving a trail of wrecked fire hydrants, sign posts, and even 15 cars. 

Eventually, Wiley turned the wrong way down Charles Street and lost the trailer while crossing through an empty parking lot. Wiley then headed north, where the truck was struck by a slow-moving train, forcing the rig to stop. Wiley then exited the cab of the truck and climbed on top of the now-stopped train. 

Police then surrounded Wiley but he would not climb down from on top of the train, so officers surrounded him and forced him off the train with the use of tasers. He was then taken into custody and transported to a nearby hospital and later, a trauma center. The nature and extent of his injuries are not clear. 

“This is the kind of stuff you see on TV. You don’t see this in real life,” said Donna Swords, a resident in one of the neighborhoods damaged during the chase. 

“You could hear the gears, they were screaming,” said Ladonna Hodge, another resident, to WSAZ News. 

Once recovered from his injuries, Wiley faces charges including breaking and entering, grand theft auto, failure to comply with the order of a police officer, railroad vandalism, and other counts of vandalism.

The incident is still under investigation, and anyone with information is urged to contact the Portsmouth Police Department at 740-353-4101.