A 20-year-old man is facing serious charges after allegedly stealing an ambulance in Invercargill early on Monday morning.

The incident unfolded just after 2.25am on Elles Road, when Police were called to help ambulance staff who were dealing with an agitated person. While a Police officer and an ambulance crew member were speaking to the man in the back of the ambulance, he allegedly moved to the front seat and began driving the vehicle.

The ambulance travelled about a block before a quick-thinking Police officer managed to knock it out of gear, bringing it to a stop.

Following a brief struggle, the man was arrested. He is now facing a range of charges including two counts of kidnapping, unlawfully taking a motor vehicle, driving while suspended, failing to stop, and two counts of resisting Police.

Relieving Southland Area Commander Inspector Matt Scoles said, “Thankfully, nobody was hurt, but there was a risk of serious injury to the people in that ambulance, none of whom were restrained, and a serious risk to the public.”

“This was an unpredictable situation and both the Police and ambulance officers involved acted swiftly, doing what they could to end it before anything worse happened.”

Police said enquiries into the incident are continuing and, as the case is now before the court, no further comment will be made at this time.

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