CHICAGO (WLS) – A man is in custody after more than 70 miles of police chase after stealing a city ambulance in Chinatown on Monday afternoon.
Police said an ambulance from the Chicago Fire Department was parked in the 200-block West Chermak at about 4:40 p.m. Police said she was stolen by an unknown intruder while parked on the street in front of the fire department.
The thief fled south by ambulance № 66 on Stevenson Highway, pursued by Illinois police and state police, and eventually on I-55, heading south to the southwestern suburbs.
Shortly before 6:20 p.m., the ambulance slowed almost to a halt and the driver appeared to be gesturing and talking to police through the window before suddenly leaving again.
WATCH: A driver of a stolen ambulance waves to the police
Strips pulled out the ambulance’s rear tire, but the chase continued, with the bare rim smoking at times. By 6:30 p.m., the ambulance had reached about 70 miles southwest of the city, near Dwight, where the driver slowed to a stop and exited.
For a moment it seemed that the driver would surrender; he crossed the fence between the highway and the grass with his backpack and got to his knees. There seemed to be an exchange of words with the police, and the suspect suddenly grabbed his backpack and set off on foot, running in the northern lanes of I-55.
WATCH: Driver Arrested for Ambulance Theft Following Police Chase
There he stopped a red truck towing a trailer and tried to enter the passenger door, but failed. He was then confronted by several officers and a K-9 detachment and detained on the side of the highway near the Streator-Kankakee exit.
Eventually, the suspect was taken away by ambulance.
Traffic was stopped in both directions on I-55. It is not known how long the lanes will remain closed.
Police have not released further details about the circumstances surrounding the theft. It was not known if there were any injuries to CFD officers or civilians. Authorities said no one was in the ambulance when it was stolen.
This is breaking news. Check again with ABC7 Chicago for updates.
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