A Los Angeles Fire Department ambulance stolen from Sherman Oaks Hospital collided with a pickup and an SUV in Panorama City while it was briefly pursued by police early Sunday, June 12.
The ambulance was stolen from the hospital at 2:04 a.m., Los Angeles Police Department Officer Luis Garcia said. About three minutes later, it collided with a pickup and SUV at the intersection of Chase Street and Van Nuys Boulevard, Los Angeles Fire Department officials said.
Four people were hurt in the crash, including the driver of the ambulance, LAFD officials said. Their injuries were not considered life-threatening.
The ambulance apparently knocked down a streetlight and a garbage can before coming to rest in front of a bus stop with a damaged front end, as seen in footage recorded by RMG News. Glass and other debris could be heard crunching beneath the wheels of stretchers as firefighters wheeled them around wrecked vehicles.
The person suspected of stealing the ambulance was described as female, and was taken into police custody without incident, Garcia said. It was not immediately clear how or why she got behind the wheel of the emergency vehicle.
