Man In Custody After Stealing CFD Ambulance, Leading Cops On Chase

CHICAGO — A man is in custody after police say he stole a Chicago Fire Department ambulance and then led police on a chase that lasted nearly two hours before it ended Monday evening.

Police said the ambulance was stolen around 4:40 p.m. while parked along the 200 block of West Cermak Road.

The suspect then led police on a chase that reached speeds of up to 80 mph down the Stevenson Expressway, police said. Just before 6 p.m., the ambulance 's rear tire on the driver’s side was blown out by a strip put down by police, but the suspect kept driving.

Television helicopters from two Chicago TV stations captured the pursuit, which ended around 6:30 p.m. in the southbound lanes of Interstate 55 when the driver pulled the ambulance over to the side of the expressway near Dwight — approximately 75 miles from Chicago — with a number of police vehicles in pursuit.

The suspect got out of the ambulance while holding a large bag and held his hands up. He then climbed over a fence and got on his knees with his arms raised. As officers walked toward him with guns drawn, the man stood up and started to run away from the officers. He attempted to chase down a vehicle that was traveling in the opposite direction on I-55, but was unsuccessful.

Officers, including one with a police K-9, were able to catch up to the man near the Streator/Kankakee exit, tackled him to the ground and took him into custody — all of which was captured by an ABC 7 helicopter above.

ABC 7 reported Monday evening that traffic in both directions on I-55 was stopped as police took the suspect into custody.