Authorities in Florida arrested a man who allegedly stole an ambulance on Sunday from a hospital in Hernando County.
According to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were notified once an ambulance owned by Hernando County Fire and Emergency Services was taken at about 12:30 p.m. from Oak Hill Hospital in Brooksville, WFLA reported.
The ambulance crew was reportedly inside the building dropping off a patient when the vehicle was taken.
The sheriff’s office detailed the events in a media release posted to Facebook on Sunday, writing, “The suspect, later identified Trey Cornwell DOB/03-14-1992 drove the ambulance to the Kass Circle area off of Port Court”:
Cornwell got the ambulance stuck in mud and sand as it approached a nearby body of water off of Port Court. Witnesses at the scene indicated the suspect fled toward a nearby shopping plaza. Cornwell was taken into custody a short time later near the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office substation located at 1231 Kass Circle.
Photos showed the yellow ambulance sitting in the mud and sand as it faced the water. The sheriff’s office also shared a photo of the suspect who appeared to have a distinctive tattoo on his face:
“Cornwell was charged with Grand Theft Auto. He was transported to the Hernando County Detention Center where he’s being held in lieu of a $10,000 bond,” the sheriff’s office stated.
One Facebook user said ambulances have GPS devices installed in them, adding, “How far did he think he would get?”
Another person expressed their gratitude to the deputies for taking him into custody.
“Hernando County Sheriff’s have been extra busy this week. Thank you to all of you,” the user wrote.
According to the sheriff’s office website, the agency’s mission is to “maintain peace and order, safeguard life and property, and protect individual rights through the delivery of professional services. The measure of our service will be judged by the community.”