SA国际传媒

SA国际传媒

Video: Fla. man finishes beer in stolen ambulance before arrest

The Florida Highway Patrol said the driver came to a stop and finished drinking a beer in full view of troopers

By Mark Price
The Charlotte Observer

TAMPA, Fla. 鈥 A man in need of a ride stole an ambulance, and the resulting traffic stop got stranger when the driver finished off a beer as troopers watched, according to investigators in Florida.

The theft happened around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 15, at HCA South Tampa Hospital, after first responders declined to give him a ride home, the Florida Highway Patrol reported in a March 16 news release.

It took about 10 minutes to locate the stolen Tampa Fire Rescue ambulance, and by then it was 2 miles southwest of the hospital, officials said.

鈥淎 pursuit ensued and continued for several miles, during which time the driver ran several stop signs, drove on the wrong side of the road, and nearly collided with several other motorists,鈥 FHP said.

鈥淎t the intersection of South Hubert Avenue and West Empedrado Street, the driver came to a stop and finished drinking a beer in full view of troopers. As Troopers and Tampa Police Officers attempted to take the driver ... into custody, he tightly held onto the steering wheel of the ambulance to resist arrest.鈥

Once removed from the driver鈥檚 seat, the 鈥渆xplained he had been drinking for the prior two days and stole the ambulance after being denied a ride,鈥 troopers said.

He was arrested and charged with:

  • Burglary of an emergency vehicle
  • Grand theft of an emergency vehicle
  • Fleeing and eluding
  • Driving while license suspended
  • DUI
  • Resisting arrest

漏2025 The Charlotte Observer.
Visit .
Distributed by

Trending
An episode of the podcast 鈥淩evisionist History鈥 dives into the data 鈥 and the noise 鈥 behind why EMS sirens may no longer be worth the risk
Dawson County Deputy Jessie Perez had served with the sheriff鈥檚 office for eight months; he also served with the O鈥橠onnell Volunteer Fire Department and Lynn County EMS
With newly licensed paramedics, the Spring Lake Fire Department is one of only three departments in the county to offer ALS
A fiery crash involving about 15 motorcycles on I-35W in Fort Worth left 17 people injured, including four in critical condition, prompting a massive emergency response