Nov. 4, 2009 (United Press International) -- INDIANAPOLIS, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- Indianapolis police said an escaped pony evaded injury when it slammed into a parked police cruiser at a "fast speed." The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police report of the incident said Officer Michael Agresta parked his car at a gas station to investigate reports of two escaped ponies darting in and out of traffic just after midnight Tuesday, the Indianapolis Star reported Wednesday. Agresta wrote in his report that he and Officer Mikola Layton approached the ponies at the edge of a wooded area near the gas station and the horses became startled and ran toward the gas station at a "fast speed." One of the ponies headed straight for the squad car and attempted to stop, but slid on the surface of the parking lot "while sparks were flying off its hooves" and slammed into the car's front bumper, Agresta wrote. The report said the pony, which appeared uninjured, ran off with the other small horse. The squad car incurred damage to its front bumper, door and headlights. Police said the owner of the ponies told them the animals are insured. JASPER, Fla., Nov. 4 (UPI) -- A Florida man who was being driven home by a wrecker that was towing his vehicle allegedly attacked the driver and stole the wrecker, authorities said. Hamilton County sheriff's deputies said a deputy responded to call about a sport utility vehicle in a ditch and arrived at 1:45 a.m. to find Alexander Jarrod Daies, 28, walking near his Ford Explorer, the Gainesville (Fla.) Sun reported Wednesday. Daies told the deputy he had left the vehicle in gear while he was making a phone call outside of the SUV and it rolled into the ditch. Daies passed field sobriety tests and a wrecker was summoned to get him and his vehicle home. However, the driver of the wrecker called the Sheriff's Office at 3:10 a.m. and said Daies had hit him over the head during the drive, pushed him out of the truck and drove off in the vehicle. A Florida Highway Patrol trooper attempted to pull the wrecker over, but Daies led troopers and deputies on a short chase before stopping. Daies was arrested and charged with carjacking, robbery, vehicle theft and aggravated battery. He was booked into the Hamilton County Jail on Monday. STUART, Fla., Nov. 4 (UPI) -- A cook at a Florida cafe said she used a restaurant knife to free a manatee that had become ensnared in a net near the eatery. Lisa Stukel, 25, said a customer at the Pelican Cafe told employees Monday that a manatee tangled in something had become wedged between a dock and a column of the Roosevelt Bridge, TCPalm.com reported Wednesday. The cafe's manager called wildlife and marine rescue agencies for help and Stukel waded into the water with server Stephanie Grigsby for a closer look. Stukel said an employee at the cafe's sister restaurant, Flagler Grill, handed her a knife from the dock and she used the instrument to cut through the fishing line and net binding the manatee. Stukel said the sea cow swam away before the professional rescuers could arrive. "It felt amazing," she said of freeing the sea creature. EDGEWATER, Colo., Nov. 4 (UPI) -- A Denver man who claimed to have been attacked has confessed he stabbed himself to avoid having to work, police say. Investigators said Aaron Siebers, 29, walked into his place of employment, a Blockbuster Video (NYSE:BBI) in Edgewater, Colo., at about 6:30 p.m. Monday with a deep stab wound to his lower leg and several superficial knife wounds, The Denver Post reported Wednesday. Police became suspicious of the account after Siebers' description of his attackers changed from three skinheads to a trio of Hispanic males and a review of outdoor security camera footage from a nearby store, where he claimed the attack took place, did not show any violent incident. Siebers eventually confessed to police that he stabbed himself and made up the story to get out of work, the Post said. Siebers, who received several stitches in his leg, was arrested and charged with false reporting and obstructing a police officer. He was booked into the Jefferson County Jail.
You need to upgrade your Flash Player
