A Texas man has been arrested after he highjacked an ambulance in Houston while a patient was inside early Friday morning, Houston police said.
Authorities said the ambulance was transporting a patient when a car stopped ahead of the ambulance and the driver got out to point a gun at the ambulance driver. The ambulance was recovered on the highway and the suspect has been taken into custody without incident, police said in a post on Twitter.
According to Click2houston, the gunman forced the driver out of the ambulance and took off in the vehicle while another firefighter and patient were in the back.
Police Chief Samuel Peña said the female firefighter was able to deescalate the situation despite the gunman pointing the gun at her while she was caring for the patient.
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“This is not part of their jobs to be kidnapped, to be assaulted at gunpoint,” said Peña. “But it definitely has become a risk of the job. I’m very thankful that everybody is okay but it’s not acceptable.”
The firefighter who was forced out of the ambulance and left on the side of the road called the police.
“We immediately were following him. Our operation center and dispatch knew exactly what was going on and we were able to track the ambulance at all times,” Houston Fire Department Deputy Chief Isaac Garcia said, according to the local outlet.
“He did appear to surrender peacefully, from what I’ve been told. He got out and one of the police officers took the ambulance off the freeway to where we see right now.”
The patient in the ambulance was taken to the hospital in another vehicle. The gunman is also in the hospital as he appeared to have trouble standing after exiting the ambulance.
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
