RICHMOND, Va. -- Comedian James Corden joked about the armored personnel carrier a soldier allegedly stole and then drove from Fort Pickett to downtown Richmond with police in pursuit Tuesday night.
Corden addressed the viral story at the end of his opening monologue on Wednesday night’s “The Late Late Show.”
“A man has been arrested after stealing a military tank and taking police on a two-hour joyride through the streets of Virginia,” Corden said.
The audience laughs as Corden shows a video of the armored personnel carrier barreling down Broad Street with Virginia State Police in tow.
“Two hours? Two hours? Who knew tanks had such good gas mileage,” Corden said.
“Obviously, this is a crime and it’s a bad thing to do, but in my defense, it was our best episode of ‘Carpool Karaoke’ to date,” Corden laughed. “You’re going to love it.”
Watch “The Late Late Show with James Corden” weeknights at 12:37 a.m. on CBS 6.
National Guard refutes claim soldier was ordered to take Richmond ride
Virginia National Guard Soldier Joshua Philip Yabut was not authorized to drive the armored personnel carrier off Fort Pickett to any location, for any reason. That's what Virginia National Guard spokesperson Cotton Puryear said in response to Yabut's claim he was simply following orders.
Yabut, 29, was arrested Tuesday night after he drove the military vehicle 60 miles from Fort Pickett near Blackstone, Virginia all the way to downtown Richmond. Police were in pursuit of Yabut during most of his trip along Route 460, Interstate 85, Interstate 95, and Broad Street.
In an interview granted to the Associated Press, Yabut claimed his brigade commander ordered him to drive the vehicle off base to test police response to the situation. Yabut made that call to the AP from Central State Hospital in Petersburg where he is being evaluated following his arrest.
Yabut was charged with with driving under the influence of drugs, felony eluding police, and felony unauthorized use of a vehicle.
While the reason behind his actions remained unclear Thursday, Crime Insider sources said the first lieutenant with 11 years military experience was on an anti-depressant and a prescription bottle was found as part of the investigation.
Yabut was arraigned Wednesday morning and is scheduled to return to court July 11.
Virginia State Police continue to investigate the incident.
