THIS is the horror moment a man hijacks a digger and goes on a terrifying rampage before being shot dead by armed cops.
The driver, believed to be a 38-year-old German, went on a 50-minute destructive charge after stealing the excavator as he ran over cars, injured police officers and even trashed a dealership.
Cops were forced into a wild chase with the digger thief after reports first came in of trouble in the Franconian town of Grünsfeld.
The man reportedly found the excavator parked up inside a construction ground and jumped in the driver’s seat without being noticed.
Seconds later his rampage started as he destroyed all of the building equipment owned by the company, a police spokeswoman said.
He then drove along a federal highway as cops soon flanked after him.
After nearly an hour of chaos unfolded the driver made his way to the Main-Tauber district at around 3:15pm.
Then in the capital, Tauberbischofsheim, he drove inside a car dealership and wrecked the building by repeatedly crashing into the walls.
The rampage quickly drew the attention of the public who fearfully watched the excavator tear through the town.
Police – who had reportedly chased the man across the highway – tried to swarm around the digger to safely stop the carnage.
But the driver continued to smash into the patrol cars to move them out of his way.
Three officers were injured in the melee, cops said.
One was a female officer who had been seriously injured and rushed to hospital.
No details have been released yet on the conditions on the two other injured cops.
Footage shows the final few moments of the horror incident as bystanders flee in their cars with cops trying to box in the digger.
The excavator can be seen ramming into the car dealership before several shots ring out.
The digger suddenly stops as cops surround the big yellow vehicle and take the driver away.
A police spokeswoman confirmed the driver was killed by one of the bullets and died instantly.
A potential motive for the destructive trip is yet to be released with investigations ongoing.
The State Criminal Police Office has now taken over and launched a separate investigation into the use of the firearm.
