A California man allegedly stole an ambulance while first responders tended to a stabbing victim, reportedly leading police on a 10-mile chase Saturday.
The man, not identified, allegedly stole the Downey Fire Department ambulance parked at the scene of the stabbing and drove off, the Downey Police Department (DPD) said on Facebook. The stabbing occurred beside electric vehicle charging stations outside a local library.
The suspect allegedly led police on a 10-mile chase and crashed the stolen ambulance into multiple parked vehicles in a nearby neighborhood, according to ABC 7. While the ambulance and another vehicle sustained damage, according to footage obtained by the outlet, police said no injuries were reported as a result of the crash.
The suspect was a 52-year-old male, the DPD said. The alleged stabbing was fatal.
Abraham Mancilla, a witness, told ABC 7 that 12 police cars were involved in the chase.
“It ended up just kind of swerving, and it had about 12 cop cars behind it. By the time I got here to meet the kids, luckily, they weren’t here yet. The scene was there, I mean, just blood everywhere,” Mancilla said. (RELATED: Authorities Find Human Remains Inside Alligator, Think They Know Where The Bones Came From)
Alan Kwong also spoke with the outlet. “I did not know it was a car chase before, but I thought it was very odd,” he explained. “When I came back, he was still screaming. He’s still screaming in the car, in the police SUV, right now, even right now.”
The suspect was not involved in the stabbing. Witnesses alleged that the first incident occurred around 9:40 a.m. Saturday when two men allegedly got into an altercation outside the library, according to KTLA 5.
Police arrested the pursuit suspect and the alleged perpetrator of the stabbing and an investigation is ongoing.