Man hijacks Houston ambulance at gunpoint with patient, EMT inside, police say

HOUSTON — A man hijacked a Houston ambulance Friday and then held a patient and medics at gunpoint, investigators said.

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Houston police said the medics were headed to a hospital with a patient when the man, who was in another vehicle, forced the ambulance to stop, made the driver get out at gunpoint, then drove off, KTRK reported.

The gunman opened fire on traffic while driving on the freeway, authorities said. No one was injured.

The other medic, who had been attending to the patient and had no idea what happened, soon realized something was wrong. She checked on the driver and found the hijacker at the wheel.

“She de-escalated the incident by essentially not panicking,” Houston Fire Chief Sam Pena told KTRK. “She remained calm throughout the incident.”

She was able to contact dispatchers, who tracked the ambulance while police were called. Officers found and pursued the ambulance until they were able to force it off the road.

The hijacker was taken into custody. His identity was not released. Investigators said he was under the influence.

The patient was transferred to another ambulance and then taken to a hospital.

No one was injured.

“This is not part of their jobs to be kidnapped, to be assaulted at gunpoint,” Pena told KPRC. “But it definitely has become a risk of the job. I’m very thankful that everybody is okay but it’s not acceptable.”

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