Patient hijacks ambulance, rams troopers before jumping off bridge, Louisiana cops say
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An EMS crew was unloading a patient from an ambulance when he managed to hijack the vehicle and drive off, authorities in Louisiana said.
After getting away from St. Charles Parish Ochsner Hospital in Luling around 3 a.m. on Jan. 28, he was spotted by deputies, who tried to pull over the ambulance, but chose not to chase it when the driver sped off , according to a Facebook post from St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office.
The patient, identified as 38-year-old Jermie McCurley, got away and headed toward Baton Rouge on Interstate 10, authorities said.
“In an effort to prevent erratic, dangerous driving behavior from McCurley as he attempted to evade capture from pursuing deputies, the pursuit was terminated,” according to the sheriff’s news release.
However, sheriff’s deputies began another pursuit and when the ambulance crossed into East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana State Police joined them in pursuit.
Eventually, state troopers deployed a tire deflation device in an effort to stop the ambulance, but McCurley didn’t stop, state police said in a news release.
“McCurley refused to stop and proceeded to ram the rear of a fully marked Louisiana State Police patrol unit,” the state police wrote in a news release.
After he hit the vehicle, another trooper rammed the ambulance, which was disabled from the crash, state police said. McCurley fled the ambulance and jumped off the Perkin’s Road overpass.
McCurley sustained moderate injuries when he jumped off the overpass, and he was transported to Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge for treatment, state police said.
“Once medically cleared, McCurley will be booked for several criminal charges, including theft and possession of a stolen motor vehicle, aggravated flight from officers, and numerous traffic violations,” the state police said. “The Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigations responded to the scene to conduct a use of force investigation due to the intentional ramming of the stolen vehicle.”
Authorities did not say why McCurley had been transported to the St. Charles Parish Ochsner Hospital, where ambulance was stolen.
This story was originally published January 28, 2022 at 7:01 PM with the headline "Patient hijacks ambulance, rams troopers before jumping off bridge, Louisiana cops say."
