Chaos erupted in South Memphis early this morning when a stolen ambulance struck a Memphis Police Department cruiser following a chase, officials said. Action News 5 reports that the incident occurred at the intersection of Third Street and E.H. Crump Boulevard around 4:43 a.m. after the ambulance had been taken from Methodist South Hospital just minutes before, at 4:24 a.m.
An Emergency Medical Technician, who was assisting a patient at the hospital, initially noticed the vehicle’s absence, leading to the discovery of its theft. Upon tracking the ambulance's GPS, officers located it at Elvis Presley Boulevard, setting off a pursuit when the driver refused to yield, the pursuit ended with the ambulance embedding itself into an MPD cruiser after officers utilized chip sticks to slow the stolen vehicle down, as the suspect tried to evade arrest, he exhibited physical resistance, WREG notes no officers were harmed in the engagement.
Authorities have taken the driver, whose identity has not been publicly disclosed, into custody. "The police report states the EMT was helping another patient into a wheelchair off a stretcher," states Action News 5. The suspect’s driver's license was found to be suspended since 2013 for failure to pay a citation.
Witnesses and news crews arrived on the scene to find a damaged ambulance and police vehicles at the crash site, a stark reminder of the morning's earlier events, with FOX13 reporting the situation developed rapidly after the initial ambulance theft from Methodist South Hospital, GPS tracking was key in locating the moving vehicle. In a statement, Pafford Medical Services confirmed the ambulance was one of theirs and was stolen while a patient was being dropped off at the hospital, adding, "we are pleased this incident did not escalate."
