Police: Thief didn’t get far in motorized grocery store cart

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – A man accused of stealing a motorized shopping cart from an Alaska grocery store didn’t get very far or go very fast before his low-speed getaway attempt was foiled by police.

The battery-operated cart with a basket mounted behind the handlebars has a top speed of 1.9 mph.

Authorities say Rondell Tony Chinuhuk of Anchorage is charged with felony theft for attempting to take the cart early Tuesday from a Safeway store in Fairbanks.

Police say they stopped Chinuhuk while he was crossing a thoroughfare following a 10-minute joyride that consisted mostly of trying to leave the expansive store parking lot.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports Chinuhuk was charged with felony theft of the $2,500 cart. Assistant public defender Jennifer Hite says in an email the office doesn’t comment on cases.