Man Charged With Stealing Ambulance Outside St. Bernard Hospital
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A 34-year-old man has been charged with stealing a Chicago Fire Department ambulance outside St. Bernard Hospital earlier this week.
Rodney Nicholson has been charged with felony possession of a stolen motor vehicle, and felony criminal damage to property, according to a Chicago police spokesperson.
Police said Nicholson stole an ambulance parked outside the emergency room at St. Bernard around 4 a.m. Tuesday. As he sped away, he crashed into a light pole at the corner of 64th and Yale, and police began chasing the ambulance.
Officers pulled him over a block away at 63rd and Yale, after the ambulance got two flat tires. Nicholson was arrested and taken back to St. Bernard for treatment.
The crash caused major damage to the front bumper, grille, and right side of the ambulance.
Police originally said Nicholson had been kicked out of the emergency room shortly before he stole the ambulance, but a hospital spokeswoman said Nicholson left on his own.
According to the hospital, Nicholson came in with a minor injury, and refused to be triaged or medically screened, then left on his own as paramedics were bringing in a disruptive patient.
