UPDATE, 8am: A homeless man who stole an F150 truck because he was sick of walking has been remanded in custody.
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Laurence Uhlmann, 54, of no fixed address, unsuccessfully applied for bail in the Warrnambool Magistrates Court on Monday and was remanded in custody until September 4.
Police alleged that on Saturday morning Mr Uhlmann, who is originally from Queensland, stole a Ford F150 valued about $20,000 from a back yard at a Merrivale Drive address.
The owner was able to track down his stolen truck, Mr Uhlmann took off but got held up at the Albert Street railway crossing boom gates where he rammed a Triton ute to get away.
He dumped the truck but was soon after arrested by Warrnambool police walking along the road.
Saturday morning: A HOMELESS man who used a stolen truck to ram a ute in an attempt to avoid being caught has been arrested.
Warrnambool police Sergeant James Van Engelen said a two-hour incident unfolded on Saturday morning after a 57-year-old from Brisbane stole a Ford F150 from the backyard of a Merrivale Drive property.
He said the $20,000 truck was stolen about 9am while the owner was inside his home.
”The owner has managed to follow tracks through mud and found his F150, with the thief in the vehicle, in Gay Street about an hour later," he said.
"The offender has woken up, got a fright when he saw the owner approaching and he's taken off in the truck.
"The victim has followed his F150 and the thief had to stop at the Albert Street railway crossing as the boom gates were down."
Sergeant Van Engelen said the victim then approached the truck which prompted the thief to ram the vehicle in front of him.
"He's caused extensive damage to the rear end of a Mitsubishi Triton, done a U-turn and knocked over a few bollards," he said.
"The offender has headed towards the Midfield meat works, dumped the F150 and was arrested by police walking down the road at about 10.45am."
Sergeant Van Engelen said the man had been charged with theft of a motor vehicle, unlicensed driving, causing damage, conduct endangering serious injury and three counts of reckless conduct endangering life.
The offender was remanded in custody by a bail justice and will appear in the Warrnambool Magistrates Court on Monday for a bail/remand hearing.
Sergeant Van Engelen said the man arrived in Warrnambool at the weekend, had walked down the railway track and then stole the F150.
"It's quite odd behaviour and then he's put the safety of a number of people in jeopardy," he said.