Man steals ambulance from Ben Taub Hospital, crashes into tree following police chase

HOUSTON – A wild scene played out across Houston Wednesday evening after someone stole a Houston Fire Department ambulance from Ben Taub Hospital.

This led to a police chase through parts of southeast and southwest Houston before the suspect crashed into a tree.

The call first dropped around 6:22 p.m., when officials were alerted that the ambulance had been stolen from the hospital.

A pursuit followed, stretching across multiple parts of the city.

The chase came to a dramatic end in the 2300 block of Holmes Road when the ambulance spun out and slammed into a tree.

Sky 2 caught the scene as dozens of Houston Police Department officers quickly surrounded the vehicle. A man was pulled from the driver’s seat and placed in handcuffs.

Houston Fire Department Deputy Chief Isaac Garcia says the ambulance had transported a patient to Ben Taub Hospital and the two EMT’s were inside the building with the patient when the suspect, who may have possibly been a recently released patient, jumped in and took off.

Garcia says the ambulance was riding on rims for an estimated two miles before it finally crashed and the chase came to an end.

Lt. Larry Crowson with HPD said the man refused to get out of the ambulance and was still revving the engine when officers broke the window on the vehicle. A K9 officer ended up biting the man on the arm, after which he surrendered.

The man inside the ambulance was transported to the hospital.

Garcia said ambulances can be left running in a situation where a patient is being transported inside a hospital, but they are supposed to be secured.

An investigation into how the incident happened is underway.