Holly MatkinHouston, TX – An armed carjacker stole an ambulance at gunpoint and sped off with a patient and an emergency medical technician (EMT) still in the back of the vehicle early Friday morning.
The ambulance was traveling near Beechnut and the 610 West Loop at approximately 3 a.m. when a vehicle suddenly ran the emergency vehicle off the road, the Houston Police Department (HPD) said in a tweet.
A gunman confronted the ambulance driver and fired multiple rounds before kicking him out of the driver’s seat and commandeering the vehicle, WFAA reported.
Police said the suspect “took the ambulance at gunpoint” and left the driver on the side of the road.
In the back, a second EMT was trying to help a patient they were transporting, WFAA reported.
The EMT later said she knew something was awry when she realized they weren’t heading towards the hospital anymore.
That’s when she looked through the window towards the cab and saw someone other than her partner driving the ambulance, WFAA reported.
The EMT, a 10-year veteran of the fire department, said the carjacker pointed his gun at her at one point and got on the radio several times, telling the dispatcher he was the guy “driving the ambulance” and that he wanted “to talk to somebody.”
Both EMTs were able to call for help, KPRC reported.
The HPD used the ambulance’s GPS system to track the vehicle down.
The EMT and the officers were able to convince the suspect to surrender near the Southwest Freeway and Weslayan, WFAA reported.
The suspect then drove off with the patient and second firefighter in the back. Officers located the vehicle via GPS and took the armed suspect into custody without incident. 202
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) July 23, 2021
No one was injured and another ambulance responded to take the patient to the hospital.
The unnamed suspect had trouble standing on his own as he was being taken into custody, KPRC reported.
It is unclear what charges he now faces.
Houston police say this man hijacked an ambulance on the way to the hospital at gunpoint with a patient and EMT in the back. It happened around 3am along the south loop. HPD got the suspect to pull over on 610/SW Freeway. @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/UUb5dJPEq2
— Taisha Walker (@KPRC2Taisha) July 23, 2021
Houston Fire Department Chief Samuel Pena applauded the EMT for deescalating the terrifying situation while still tending to the needs of the patient and said she and the officers did an “outstanding job.”
“This is not part of their jobs — to be kidnapped, to be assaulted at gunpoint, but it definitely has become a risk of the job,” Chief Pena told WFAA. “We’re very thankful that everybody is okay, but it’s not acceptable for our firefighters and EMTs to be assaulted when their job is to go out there and make a positive impact.”
The fire chief said the suspect, whose name hasn’t been released, should not have been on the loose.
“There’s something definitely wrong about this,” he said. “An individual like this should not be out on the street.”
