Houston Fire Department officials have confirmed that a suspect accused of stealing an ambulance from a station in east downtown has been taken into custody after a lengthy police chase.
The incident began when an unidentified man stole a black Infiniti at a Kroger near 11th and Shepherd St. and left behind his personal vehicle, according to preliminary information.
The driver then went to the HFD Station 17 and allegedly pretended to assist the crash victim before getting into Ambulance 17 and taking off.
The suspect drove around for about an hour while police actively searched for him, as the ambulance was a reserve unit and difficult to locate through their GPS.
Around 3 p.m., officers were able to find the ambulance and arrested the driver after crashing into another vehicle, causing it to suffer a flat tire.
The suspect was not identified, as of this writing, but police described him as someone “in crisis” and is expected to face felony evading charges and grand theft charges.
Part of why he was described as someone “in crisis,” according to officials during a press conference, he was heard on scanners saying unintelligible things like “that someone was trying to kill him.” However, investigators could not go into more detail.
The incident has caused a stir in the Houston community, as police and firefighters have worked together to ensure that the suspect is brought to justice.
It is still unclear what the motive was behind the theft, but police are continuing to investigate the matter.