A panhandler was getting kicked out of a Maricopa gas station Wednesday night when he turned the police encounter into a real-life game of Grand Theft Auto, racking up 14 criminal charges. 

Maricopa Police Department reports the beggar tried to evade justice by stealing a truck and taking its passenger as a hostage. 

Warren A. Elder, 25, faces charges of auto theft, kidnapping, endangerment, false imprisonment, false reporting, trespassing and obstructing the government. Cops also slapped him with five counts of criminal nuisance and two counts of disorderly conduct. 

Elder was “panhandling” at Circle K, 18141 N. John Wayne Parkway, when employees asked him to leave, according to a probable-cause statement obtained by InMaricopa. He refused and cops arrived to trespass him from the property. 

At the same time, MPD was conducting a traffic stop on a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck at the gas station. Officers were investigating the pickup driver, who was stopped for an undisclosed reason, outside of the car. The driver’s side door was left open, and the passenger remained in her seat. 

Elder allegedly jumped into the driver’s seat of the truck and grabbed the steering wheel and gear stick. Cops pulled him out, handcuffed him and loaded him into the back of a squad car.  

Both the pickup driver and passenger were “visibly shaken” by the incident, according to the police report. The passenger said Elder tried to switch gears and turn onto John Wayne Parkway. 

When police mirandized Elder, he gave a fake name. 

Elder was booked into the Pinal County jail on seven felony and seven misdemeanor charges. He faces a presumptive sentence of 72 years and nine months if convicted on all charges.