Man steals Chicago ambulance, leads police on 80-mile chase

CHICAGO (AP) - A man has been charged with stealing a Chicago Fire Department ambulance and leading police on an 80-mile (128-kilometer) chase.

The 46-year-old Chicago man entered the ambulance as it sat empty and parked on the street outside a fire station around 4:40 p.m. Monday, police said.

Officers pursued the ambulance down Interstate 55 while the driver sped away at more than 70 mph (112 kilometers per hour). About two hours later, a tire on the ambulance blew out and the driver tried to run away, but he was arrested after a short foot chase, the Chicago Sun-Time s reported.

The man was charged with fleeing from police, resisting arrest and possession of a stolen vehicle, Illinois State Police said.

He was treated at a hospital and taken to Grundy County Jail, where he's awaiting transfer to Cook County.

The fire department did not say if the ambulance was left running or unlocked.