Man in stolen ambulance smashes into 13 vehicles during police chase, Virginia cops say
A driver is accused of stealing an ambulance that responded to a crash and leading police on a chase, hitting more than a dozen vehicles along the way, Virginia State Police said.
On the afternoon of Aug. 12, Virginia State Police were called to a two-vehicle crash in Arlington, according to a news release.
One of the drivers was taken to a hospital, but the other driver involved in the crash fled the scene in a truck that had been reported stolen from Falls Church, Virginia, police said.
The stolen truck was driven by a 30-year-old Maryland man, police said.
Just one minute later, police were called again to a multi-vehicle crash nearby, and the same stolen truck was identified, police said. This time, five people were taken to a hospital and the driver of the stolen truck abandoned the truck and ran away, according to the release.
Again, just a few minutes later, police received reports that a different truck was driving the wrong direction on the parkway when it hit another vehicle, police said. The truck was being driven by the same Maryland man, according to the release.
An ambulance that was on the way to the previous crash saw the collision on the parkway and stopped to help, police said.
As the paramedics got out of the ambulance and started to care for a driver, the man jumped out of the second stolen truck and into the driver’s seat of the ambulance, then took off, police said.
“The medics waved down a (Virginia State Police) trooper who was responding to the crash scenes to alert him to the stolen ambulance,” police said in the release. “The trooper caught up to the stolen ambulance.”
The chase picked up speed, and the man refused to stop as troopers closed in, police said.
Suddenly, the ambulance stopped in the road, according to the release, and as the trooper got out of his patrol car to engage with the driver, the man put the ambulance in reverse.
The man rammed the ambulance into the patrol car before taking off again, police said.
The man drove the ambulance on I-395 and merged into the express lanes, leaving Virginia and entering Washington, D.C., according to the release.
The chase finally ended when the driver hit a parked car head-on, and state troopers and county police could move in and take him into custody.
“During the course of the pursuit, the stolen ambulance struck multiple vehicles and again rammed the trooper’s patrol car,” police said. “At this time, state police have accounted for and are investigating 13 hit-and-run crashes committed by the stolen ambulance.”
Police said no serious injuries were reported from any of the crash victims or officers.
The man was charged by both federal and local law enforcement, and state charges are pending, according to the release.
The chase began in Arlington County, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.
This story was originally published August 13, 2023 at 11:00 AM with the headline "Man in stolen ambulance smashes into 13 vehicles during police chase, Virginia cops say."
