A West Virginia man has been arrested by police for allegedly stealing a sitting ambulance while paramedics responded to a medical emergency.
EMS crews were responding to an unresponsive patient in a home in Huntington around 6:30 a.m. Monday morning, when the man was caught on camera by the dash cam of the ambulance, according to MetroNews. The man appeared to jump into the ambulance before frantically driving away with the allegedly stolen vehicle.
Huntington police identified the man as 37-year-old, Anthony Ray Bell, according to MetroNews. Police put out an arrest warrant for Bell, who was wanted for stolen auto theft and several misdemeanors.
Cabell County EMS Director Gordon Merry said the ambulance had been missing for 10-15 minutes and that nothing was stolen from inside the ambulance, according to Fox26News.
The abandoned ambulance was located after it crashed into a home, but Bell was nowhere to be found.
The ambulance had minor damages and was repaired in two hours. No one was injured in the crash.
Bell was taken into custody by officers later that day and booked into Western Regional Jail at 12:35 a.m., according to the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Bell’s bail is set for a cash-only amount of $25,600 and his court date is set for May 7, according to WCHS TV.