Authorities say the events started about 1 a.m. Thursday when an off-duty CHP officer spotted the stolen Teichert construction company crane driving without headlights on a rural highway southeast of Sacramento.
The officer notified dispatchers, and CHP units found the crane.
But CHP Officer Rich Wetzel tells The Sacramento Bee (http://bit.ly/HgU1jn) that instead of stopping, the driver raised the crane's boom, knocking down power lines and tree branches as he fled down the highway.
The driver, who was not immediately identified, eventually surrendered near the community of Sloughhouse.
The roadway was closed for about four hours. Utility crews were working to replace the downed power lines and fix several intersection signal lights that were not working.
