A suspect fleeing in a stolen ambulance stops at sheriff's office. Image is courtesy of the Columbia County Sheriff's Office.
WATERTOWN, Fla. - It’s not every day that a fleeing suspect ends up on the front steps of the sheriff’s office, but that’s exactly what happened with a Florida man stole an ambulance and led deputies on a chase.
According to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy was helping EMS with a patient who was in an altered mental state and possibly under the influence of drugs on Saturday when the man, later identified as 35-year-old Stanley Williams, got into the ambulance and drove away.
The deputy pursued the stolen ambulance and told other deputies what was going on, according to CCSO.
The sheriff’s office says at some point the ambulance suffered tire damage after striking a curb and Williams drove it into the entrance of the CCSO operations center.
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Investigators say he drove it across the front lawn before finally stopping near the main entrance to the building. He was taken into custody without further incident.
CCSO says there was no damage to its property other than cosmetic damage to the lawn.
"It’s not every day a pursuit ends at our front door," stated Sheriff Mark Hunter. "This just goes to show that we never know what we will encounter from one moment to the next. I’m glad nobody got hurt, and the suspect was not able to pose a greater risk to our community."
Williams was admitted to an area hospital for further evaluation.
Charges of grand theft, fleeing and eluding are pending.