INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - A man drove off with an ambulance from an Indianapolis hospital on Tuesday while its crew was dropping off a patient, officials said.
Police officers spotted the ambulance a few miles away soon after it was stolen about 6 a.m. from Community East Hospital on the city’s east side. The ambulance crashed through a chain-link fence onto a golf course, where officers took into custody a man who was found inside.
The ambulance crew reported the vehicle stolen and the city’s emergency medical services department was able to use a GPS tracking device on it to direct police to its location, agency spokesman Carl Rochelle said.
“It’s very opportunistic,” he said of the theft. “We do have to drop off our patients, and we do have to maintain continuity of care, so our crews go in together to drop off that patient off.”
A possible motive for the theft and the identity of the man weren’t immediately released.
The ambulance was driven away from Maple Creek golf course with some front-end damage, while a section of a fairway was torn up the by vehicle’s tires.
Rochelle said the ambulance would be checked for additional damage and any missing items.
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