By Kaitlyn Alanis
The Charlotte Observer
HOUSTON — A man discharged from the hospital stole an ambulance and led police on a 100 mph chase, officials say.
Before the man took the Houston Fire Department ambulance, police say he was looking into cars while walking outside Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston’s Texas Medical Center, according to KPRC.
Then, as officers approached him, he got in the unattended ambulance, the Houston station reported. Investigators said paramedics were in the hospital with a patient while the ambulance was left running.
As he fled around midnight Wednesday, speeds reached 100 mph in a police chase lasting about 30 minutes, KTRK reported.
The driver of the stolen ambulance led police on the 610 Loop and several freeways, according to KHOU. The chase finally came to an end when the ambulance was damaged following a crash into a median on Glen Chase.
First responders then removed an ambulance window to pull the suspect out, KTRK reported. He had minor injuries, but nobody else was hurt.
The wheels of the ambulance were worn down, KHOU reported, and tires of some patrol cars were damaged from spikes used during the case.
“This could have ended badly for a lot of people, but again we got minor injuries on the suspect, we got the ambulance,” Lt. Ronnie Wilkens said, according to the TV station. “Yeah, we lost some tires tonight but you know what kudos to all these HPD and Harris County guys … because no one understands how stressful it is when you’re out doing this kind of stuff.”
After the man was evaluated by paramedics, KPRC reported he was taken into custody. No charges had been filed as of Thursday evening.
©2021 The Charlotte Observer. Visit charlotteobserver.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.