Twitter Thomas Busch is the accused suspect in the Denver tractor chase.
Thomas Busch now stands accused of driving the tractor that led Denver police on a “low-speed” chase throughout downtown Denver, much to the delight of people on social media.
Although the tractor chase prompted jokes because of its bizarre nature, it did send several police officers to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries, and Bush, 37, was bitten by police dogs, previous news reports said. According to inmate records, Thomas Joseph Busch is in the custody of the Denver County Sheriff’s Department. “Busch was arrested and is being detained and investigated for theft of a motor vehicle with a possibility of additional charges,” The Denver Post reported.
Denver police chased the stolen tractor through the streets and sidewalks of downtown Denver, Colorado. It took a lot of police squads to stop the fleeing tractor as it eluded authorities for a half hour. It wasn’t exactly a high-speed pursuit. In fact, a police spokesman and some Twitter users labeled it a “slow-speed pursuit.” Twitter users posted videos of the tractor chase:
“We had a pursuit, it’s what we consider a low-speed event,” said Denver Police Department spokesperson Tyrone Campbell.
According to CBS Denver, the John Deere tractor was pursued by at least five patrol cars with lights on and sirens blaring. The tractor appeared to drive chaotically, at times on sidewalks, video showed. The male driver is in custody but hasn’t been identified.
The Twitter jokes flew.
You know, I really miss the breaking news car chases in LA.
But Denver is bringing it tonight with breaking news tractor/lawnmower chase downtown.
Here’s what you need to know:
Police Allege Thomas Busch Was Driving a Stolen Tractor That Had Been Involved in a Crash
A tractor pursuit just ended in downtown Denver…
Why would the police chase a tractor? Well, for starters, it was stolen, according to Denver Police.
End of slow speed chase of John Deere tractor from city park ending at 15th and Market in LoDo in Denver
According to 9News, the stolen tractor was involved in a crash, so a pursuit started. It lasted 30 minutes and even involved the department’s helicopter. Property and vehicles were damaged during the chase, police said.
Thomas Busch has a lengthy criminal history. According to Denver 7, Busch “has been arrested for burglary, domestic violence, robbery, assault; and several traffic offenses including vehicle theft, hit-and-run, driving with a suspended license, careless driving, driving under the influence, among others.”
Police Tasered Thomas Busch at the End of the Chase, Reports Say
Mid speed tractor chase,let’s go.
How did the tractor chase end? A witness told KDVR-TV that “the pursuit ended when a police cruiser hit the tractor head-on.” That set off the squad’s airbags. According to the television station, a taser was then used to get the suspect in custody.
According to The Denver Post, the driver suffered – wait for it – dog bites while allegedly resisting arrest. This wasn’t explained further by the newspaper story.
John Deere tractor leads police on a chase through downtown Denver: t.co/znyoVjJVxN #Denver7
According to The Denver Post, “Police were concerned for the safety of pedestrians and drivers and made a quick decision to end the incident by ramming the tractor” and a witness said the squad was traveling the wrong way down a one-way street when it struck the tractor.
Two officers were injured, but not seriously.
Social Media Went Into Overdrive With Jokes About the Bizarre Police Chase
A tractor pursuit just ended in downtown Denver…
Although the chase was serious because a police cruiser ended up hitting the tractor, that didn’t stop people on Twitter from having a field day with the bizarre aspects of the chase. Here are some of the Twitter responses:
I’d like to see a tractor chase in L.A. @Glenn_Macias
Some people thought it was pretty amazing the tractor driver eluded police for a full 30 minutes.
@SharonKWooden1 @9NEWS You have to give the tractor dude credit… 30 minutes is a long time to hold off police driving a tractor. Kind of reminded me of another police chase… one that involved – who was that guy? Oh yeah, OJ Simpson.🤣🤣🤣🤣
Some people were just baffled by it all.
High speed tractor pursuit…in downtown Denver?
@jaclynreporting Wait. What? John Deere tractor chase???!! 😆 Is that what you said…downtown!? 😆😄😆
@itsginnydi This is all I can think of in my mind and I just imagine like a REALLY slow car chase as they try to get the tractor to stop.
“I keep saying Denver isn’t a cow town then I look up and the police are having a low speed chase with a rouge tractor in the heart of downtown,” concluded one man.
Wrote another, “Just witnessed a police chase in downtown Denver. 20 cops trying to catch a tractor. Made me feel like I was back in Indiana.”
A woman revealed, “Just watched four cop cars trying to chase down a tractor on the lam in Denver, so that’s my night.”