By Beth Velliquette
The Herald-Sun
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Chapel Hill police have charged the man who stole an ambulance on April 1 and drove it through his neighborhood crashing into other vehicles and racing through yards.
Police charged the man with felonious larceny of a vehicle, six counts of hit and run and one count of careless and reckless driving.
Orange County’s emergency medical service responded to a call last Friday for medical assistance on Deerwood Court. A police report indicated the man had a seizure.
While he was being treated, he ran out of his home and jumped in the ambulance that was parked in the cul-de-sac where he lived. First he backed into a parked car, then turned and hit a fire truck before driving throughout his neighborhood, crashing into three parked vehicles and running across people’s lawns, damaging their grass and shrubbery, as well as two Time-Warner cable boxes.
His run ended when he crashed the ambulance into a parked vehicle at the dead end of Emory Drive. Police apprehended him nearby, and he was transported to UNC Hospitals for treatment for his injuries and for an evaluation.
The man was released on a written promise to appear, and his first court date is scheduled for April 11 in Orange County District Court in Hillsborough.
Copyright 2011 The Durham Herald Co.
All Rights Reserved