Ambulance stolen from ER: First-response vehicle recovered, suspect apprehended

HILO — An ambulance was brazenly stolen from the emergency room entrance of Hilo Medical Center on Thursday afternoon.

But the vehicle was recovered within an hour and a suspect arrested. No injuries occurred among hospital staff, patients or law enforcement officers.

“An individual took an ambulance, and we understand it’s been recovered,” said Hilo Medical Center spokeswoman Elena Cabatu.

At 1:43 p.m. Thursday, the Hawaii Police Department received the initial report of an ambulance stolen at the hospital, police Lt. Miles Chong said.

“We had several officers, essentially whoever was available, involved in the search,” Chong said.

At 2:20 p.m., officers arrested a 25-year-old Hilo man on suspicion of first-degree theft. He remained in custody at the Hilo police cellblock while detectives investigated.

Chong said staff members from the private ambulance company, American Medical Response, said nothing appeared to be missing during the initial inspection of the recovered vehicle. But AMR will be doing a complete inventory to make sure no drugs or other supplies were taken.

Chong said officers are investigating whether the suspect was a patient trying to escape being admitted to the hospital.

“We can’t confirm or deny that,” Cabatu said.

Residents reported seeing the ambulance traveling on Banyan Drive before police caught up with it.

Authorities said the ambulance eventually crashed through a gated road on the tight curve along Leilani Street in Hilo near the landfill, where the suspect’s ride came to an end.

The suspect was taken into custody at that location, a short distance from the dump entrance.

The department’s mobile crime scene investigation lab was used to collect evidence at the scene.

Officers and representatives of American Medical Response were on scene until after 4:30 p.m. Thursday.

Chong said the investigation is continuing.