An extraordinary incident took place in South Los Angeles on Thursday when a patient, in the throes of a psychiatric crisis, took control of a Los Angeles Fire Department ambulance and drove off. The ordeal began near the intersection of Gage Avenue and Hoover Street in Vermont-Slauson, where firefighter-paramedics were initially responding to a behavioral emergency. According to the KTLA, the individual commandeered the vehicle identified as Rescue Ambulance RA57.
The Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed that the ambulance was retrieved shortly after the incident, with no accompanying ambulance personnel harmed, and no injuries reported. In a dramatic turn of events, the ambulance was located in Inglewood, where the Inglewood Police Department apprehended the unnamed patient, as detailed in the LAFD's alert. This alert also specified the time of recovery as 11:00 AM and the location at 10800 S Prairie Avenue.
The nature of the patient's medical condition or motivations for taking the ambulance were not disclosed. The Ingleplace Police Department, took the person into custody, further ensuring the public's safety and the return of essential emergency resources to service.
