HOUSTON – A man is in custody after police said he stole a Houston Fire Department ambulance following his release from Memorial Hermann Hospital Wednesday night. Officers said the chase ended 25 miles away in northwest Harris County.
Houston police officers said they were notified around 11:43 p.m. of a stolen ambulance from Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Medical Center.
According to investigators, the ambulance left was left running briefly when paramedics were inside the hospital with a patient.
Officers said they saw the man walking around looking into cars, so they approached him. The suspect then got into an ambulance and took off, police said.
Police said the ambulance was located by officers on 610 northbound near Beechnut and a pursuit ensued shortly thereafter. The suspect took 610 to 290, and then FM 529 westbound, periodically exiting and then reentering the freeway along the way, officers said.
Authorities said the suspect then took Fry Road to Logenbaugh and went eastbound until it turned into Cherry Pines. He then made a right to go back on Glen Chase before hitting the center median and becoming disabled, investigators said.
Deputies were backing up HPD officers and took the suspect into custody by smashing the window and dragging him out of the ambulance, investigators said.
Police said the suspect was evaluated by EMS and was turned back over to HPD. He is currently in custody.
Investigators said the suspect suffered minor injuries. Police said the suspect was going up to 100 mph during the chase. Officers said they backed off to give him space multiple times throughout the chase.
The pursuit lasted nearly 30 minutes, and aside from the damage to the ambulance, several patrol vehicles sustained blown out tires from assisting agencies’ spike strips.
The district attorney will discuss what charges the man faces.