Woman Arrested At Worcester McDonald's Drive-Thru After Police Chase; Allegedly Dragged Officer With Stolen Truck
WORCESTER (CBS) -- A woman was arrested at a McDonald's drive-thru on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester Tuesday morning after allegedly stealing a truck, hitting a police cruiser and dragging an officer 20 feet.
Police said 38-year-old Johanna Gardell allegedly stole the truck in the area of Lake Ave.
Police got GPS information on the truck from its owner. "Police let me look inside," said Raymond James, who owns the truck. "There was drugs in there, there was needles in there and some blood in her seat. It seems like she was, we followed her on the GPS, it seems like she was stopping in bad parts of town."
The truck stopped at a construction detail, rammed a van, then backed into a police cruiser and dragged the detail officer. The officer was taken to a hospital but is expected to be OK.
Video obtained by WBZ-TV shows the woman in the stolen truck driving through the construction site. One of the workers tries to use a piece of equipment to stop her, but moves as she speeds off.
A pursuit ensued into Millbury, Grafton and then back to Worcester at the McDonald's.
Police said Gardell went to the drive-thru in an attempt to order food. Officers approached her in two vehicles and she intentionally struck one of the vehicles, but went off the road and got the truck stuck in the mulch, according to police.
First responders could be seen carrying a woman into an ambulance.
Gardell faces several charges including failure to stop for police, leaving the scene of an accident and assault and battery with a motor vehicle.
