A man being escorted to a Mobile hospital under police guard slipped away from his private ambulance transport Friday morning and made off with a Mobile Fire-Rescue ambulance instead, setting off a brief but chaotic pursuit through the city’s Midtown area.
According to the Mobile Police Department, the man had been detained and questioned earlier in the morning in connection with an attempted break-in at a Subway restaurant on Springhill Avenue. Investigators determined the incident amounted to a misdemeanor, and the man was placed in a private ambulance operated by Lifeguard Ambulance Service to be taken to Mobile Infirmary for evaluation.
At some point during that transport, the man got out of the Lifeguard unit and climbed into a nearby Mobile Fire-Rescue rescue vehicle that was unoccupied at the time, according to police and fire officials. He then drove off in the ambulance, prompting officers to give chase.
Mobile Fire-Rescue Public Information Officer Steven Millhouse said the ambulance sustained what he described as moderate-to-major damage during the incident and was being taken to the city’s impound lot so investigators could fully assess the extent of the harm.
“It could’ve been a lot worse,” Millhouse said. “He could’ve flipped it or hit a building or something.”
Mobile police said officers pursuing the stolen ambulance fired at least one shot during the chase before the vehicle came to a stop. Officers were able to bring the ambulance to a halt in the area of Emogene Street and William Street, where the man was taken into custody without further incident.
The man was then transported to the hospital, where he remained under police guard, according to the department. Officials said he is expected to face additional charges once he is released from medical care and formally booked into jail.
No other injuries were reported in connection with the chase, and no bystanders or property along the pursuit route were reported struck. Mobile police said the investigation into the incident, including how the man was able to access the unattended ambulance, remains ongoing.
Mobile Fire-Rescue did not immediately say how long the ambulance would be out of service for repairs or whether it would need to be replaced. The department operates a fleet of rescue units across the city to respond to medical emergencies alongside private ambulance providers such as Lifeguard, which frequently assist with non-emergency and inter-facility patient transports on behalf of local hospitals and law enforcement agencies.