A man who stole a 24-tonne bulldozer and drove it through Wolverhampton and Walsall on a drunken rampage has been jailed for 18 months.
A Royal Mail lorry was used by the police to block the road in a desperate attempt to stop Darren Coffey from causing any more destruction during the incident on 8 November 2025.
But Coffey struck the HGV with such force he was able to continue on his way, albeit on the wrong side of the carriageway, in a bid to reach Willenhall and settle a dispute.
The 41-year-old stole the Caterpillar D6 bulldozer from an address in Staffordshire and then travelled along main roads, causing damage to street signs and road surfaces.
He was also in possession of two petrol cans and he called the police at the wheel of the vehicle to tell them he intended to burn down a property on New Road.
West Midlands police said officers from the drone and dogs unit, response officers and traffic all joined together to try stop him and protect the public.
The teams were also assisted by the National Police Air Service (NPAS) who tracked the bulldozer from the air.
Due to the sheer size of the machine officers said they kept their vehicles at a safe distance to prevent members of the public from ending up in the pathway of the bulldozer.
West Midlands police said: “With authority to use a HGV in an attempt to stop the vehicle, the teams blocked the carriageway in Moseley Village, Wolverhampton, using the lorry as a static road block to try and bring the incident to an end.
“Coffey then struck the HGV to the rear forcing his way through and onto the wrong side of the carriageway.
“A short time later Coffey reversed the machine at speed towards numerous police cars but thankfully officers were able to act quickly and move out of the way.”
Almost three hours after the rampage began, Coffee brought the machine to a halt and was then arrested.
He appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court on 29 April after pleading guilty to driving a motor vehicle dangerously, failing to stop, no insurance, no license and threat to damage or destroy property.
He also admitted two counts of criminal damage, drink driving, and aggravated vehicle taking and vehicle damage under £5,000.
He was jailed and banned from driving for three years and nine months.
PC Rodgers, of West Midlands Police, said: “Coffey’s actions back in November put innocent members of the public at risk of serious harm and caused a large amount of damage to street furniture and roads.
“This incident saw teams from across the force work together alongside our colleagues from NPAS to try to bring Coffey’s dangerous actions to a stop.
“Thankfully after three hours the incident came to an end, and officers took him into custody.
“But this whole incident placed a lot of people at risk, so I hope that this sentence and time in prison will give him some time to think about the sheer devastation that could have happened due to his actions on that night,” he added.
