BLACKSTONE, VIRGINIA — A soldier under the influence of drugs boosted an armored personnel carrier from a National Guard base on Tuesday and went for a short little spin around downtown Richmond. <br />Joshua Philip Yabut, 29, jacked the M577 armored vehicle around 7:50 p.m. from Fort Pickett in Blackstone, police said. <br /><br />The vehicle was not equipped with any weaponry, but that didn't stop him from tearing down Route 460 and then towards Richmond on Interstate 95 at a cool 40 miles per hour. <br /><br />While all this was going on, a parade of police cars formed behind the personnel carrier as it was cruising around. <br />Armed police officers protected the entrance to Capitol Square as a police chopper followed the armored vehicle from up above. <br /><br />Yabut eventually drove onto a median at was surrounded around 9:40 p.m. He was <br />tased and taken into custody. Luckily, no one was injured in the incident. <br /><br />The soldier has been charged with driving under the influence of drugs, one felony count of eluding police and one felony count of unauthorized use of a vehicle.
