PINSON, AL-He might have been a shifty character but he didn’t know how to change gears. And now he’s in a clutch situation.

According to Fox News, police in this southern community were involved in a low-speed pursuit after a 29-year-old man tried to steal a Kenworth T300 but didn’t know how to use a manual transmission, so he never got out of first gear. 

At around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, police were stopped by the side of a road inspecting an abandoned car when they were approached by a passerby who told them a truck had gone missing.

When the police saw the moving truck, they gave chase and the vehicles travelled down I-59, reaching speeds of up to 30 mph.

About 16 miles later, the truck came to a stop. The transmission seized, Fox reports.  

Cops arrested and charged the driver with first-degree theft of property, reckless endangerment, attempting to elude and resisting arrest.  

Remarked Jefferson County Chief Deputy Randy Christian: “Thank God he couldn’t find second gear – the pursuit could have gotten all the way up to 35 mph.”