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A Colorado County EMS ambulance was stolen by a mental health patient from the Columbus Community Hospital Tuesday morning, March 18, leading law enforcement on a 20-minute chase before crashing on County Rd. 101 near Highway 71.
EMS personnel drove an unnamed patient to CCH from a call outside of Borden off Highway 90, assisting local law enforcement after the patient told deputies she was kidnapped by two males and left in the trunk of a car parked on the side of the highway.
After care was transferred to CCH staff, the patient exited her room and walked out of the facility. About the time CCH and EMS staff realized she was exiting the building, the patient hopped into the 2019 Dodge ambulance in the ER bay and left the hospital, prompting an immediate response from Columbus Police Department, Colorado County Sheriff’s Department and Texas DPS.
Law enforcement chased the stolen ambulance for 20-25 minutes before the driver lost control and crashed on County Rd. 101, after spike strips were deployed to deflate the tires. EMS, for the second time that day, evaluated the patient who was then taken into custody by law enforcement and transferred back to Columbus Community Hospital for further treatment.
Aside from the driver of the vehicle, no further injuries were reported. The ambulance, however, sustained significant damage with the extent of repairs currently being assessed. The EMS plan on reaching out to private property owners will be contacted this week to assess the damage as well.
“This is a very unfortunate situation, but we are grateful no one was seriously hurt or injured,” said Michael Furrh, Colorado County EMS Chief. “We can no longer take for granted the sanctity of our rural communities. Today it proves that even our county Emergency Medical Services can and are vulnerable to outside influences. We greatly appreciate the quick response from our law enforcement partners in safely resolving the matter.”
