There’s been a solid trend of ambulance thefts in 2023, one we hope doesn’t continue into 2024. The latest case comes via Florida and really nobody should be shocked by that. But this one comes with an extra twist since the suspect drove the stolen ambulance right to the front doors of the sheriff’s office.
Do people in Florida pull over for law enforcement?
Columbia County Sheriff’s Office said the whole incident started innocently enough on the night of December 9 when a deputy received a call for help from an EMS. The patient was 35-year-old Stanley Williams and was “experiencing an altered mental state” which authorities suspect was fueled by drug use.
While Williams was receiving treatment, he was able to get into the ambulance cab and just drive off. Dashcam footage from the deputy’s car shows the ambulance slowly at first pull away at a gas station, then sped down the road as the deputy gave chase.
However, ambulances aren’t known for being super fast or handling great, so the chase wasn’t anything too wild. But Williams did the unexcepted when he hopped a curb, drove across some grass, and parked right in front of the doors to the sheriff’s office.
We’re sure for a fleeting moment there was some question about whether Williams was going to ram the building with the big, heavy ambulance or not. It was an odd choice of destination for someone who stole a vehicle, but drugs can make you do weird things.
Instead of putting up a fight, Williams promptly opened the ambulance door, climbed out, and flopped on the ground stomach-down, arms splayed out. In other words, he immediately surrendered to the deputy and was taken into custody “without further incident” says the sheriff’s office in a press release.
“It’s not every day a pursuit ends at our front door,” said Sheriff Mark Hunter. “This just goes to show that we never know what we will encounter from one moment to the next. I’m glad nobody was hurt and the suspect was not able to pose a greater risk to our community.”
Image via Columbia County Sheriff’s Office
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