Police pursuit of stolen ambulance ends with injured suspect in custody

Article Source: The Washington Post

William Person, 43, of Temple Hills, Md., has been charged with auto theft and malicious destruction of property in connection with the incident, according to Prince George’s County police. He also faces several traffic charges in Charles County, police said.

Person’s family could not be reached for comment, and online court records did not yet indicate an attorney for him in the case.

Updated 5:30 p.m.

A man was apprehended Friday after he stole an ambulance from outside Prince George’s County Hospital Center in Cheverly, Md., drove it with blown out tires and led authorities on a roughly one-hour pursuit before he was stopped.

The incident started around 6 a.m. when rescuers who were inside the hospital after dropping off patient apparently left the keys inside the vehicle. The man, who had been a patient at the hospital, got in and stole it, police said.

Leaving keys inside an ambulance is against the Prince George’s County Fire Department’s policy, which requires the vehicle to be locked when officials aren’t inside, officials said.