Suspect detained after pursuit of stolen ambulance results in shots fired, crash

CHICAGO (WGN) – A suspect has been detained after a pursuit involving a stolen ambulance resulted in shots being fired and a crash on the city’s West Side.

Authorities in Cicero said three Cicero paramedics were taking a patient to Loretto Hospital at around 4 p.m.

Once at the hospital, a man ran to the driver’s side door of the ambulance, got in and drove off with one of the paramedics still in the back of the ambulance. That paramedics reportedly jumped out of the ambulance about two blocks away, according to investigators.

Authorities said one of the other paramedics who helped transport the patient immediately called 911, prompting a quick response from Chicago police officers who stopped the ambulance near the intersection of Chicago Avenue and Cicero Avenue in the city’s Austin neighborhood.

The ambulance appears to have rear-ended a gray four-door sedan and also struck a Chicago police vehicle.

One Cicero spokesperson said the ambulance reportedly hit other vehicles during the pursuit.

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) said its officials are investigating an officer-involved shooting, located in the 300 block of South Central Avenue in Austin, where the incident originally started.

The suspect was not injured, but was taken to an area hospital to get checked out. Three Chicago police officers were also taken to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to police.

Loretto Hospital issued the following statement on the incident:

“We are aware of the stolen ambulance incident that occurred at Loretto Hospital this afternoon. The matter is under active investigation in coordination with law enforcement. At this time, no further details are available.”

No information is available at this time.