Watch: Police chase ambulance thief 70 miles, apprehend him on I-55
A man is in custody after a more than 70-mile police chase involving a Chicago ambulance stolen in Chinatown Monday afternoon.
Police said at about 4:40 p.m. a Chicago Fire Department ambulance was parked on the 200 block of West Cermak Avenue. Officials said no one was in the ambulance when it was stolen.
The thief fled south onto the Stevenson Expressway, with local police and Illinois State Police in pursuit, and eventually onto I-55 heading into the Southwest suburbs.
Shortly before 6:20 p.m. the ambulance slowed nearly to a stop and the driver appeared to be gesturing to and speaking with police out the window, before suddenly taking off again.
Strips took out the ambulance's back driver's-side tire, but the chase continued on, with the bare rim smoking at times. By 6:30 p.m. the ambulance had made it about 70 miles southwest of the city, near Dwight, where the driver slowed to a stop and got out.
It briefly looked like the driver was going to surrender, but then he ran and tried to enter a passing pickup.