Homeless man steals ambulance parked outside Gary police station
by Lori Caldwell lcaldwell@post-trib.com | 648-3258 March 1, 2013 4:51PM
Ricky Warren. | Provided Photo~Sun-Times Media ptmet
Maps
Updated: April 3, 2013 6:13AM
GARY — While Gary Fire Department medics were inside the police station checking a jail inmate with a medical complaint, their ambulance idled right outside the front door.
And then it was gone.
Ricky Warren, 53, a homeless man often seen on the first floor of the Public Safety Facility, was arrested at Ridge Road and Grant Street where Gary police forced him to stop — but not before Warren drove the ambulance, lights flashing, into an SUV.
The occupants of the car struck at 11th Avenue and Grant Street flagged Detective JerVean Gates, who began chasing the purloined ambulance.
Gary units surrounded the truck at Ridge Road, but Warren wouldn’t open the door. Police had to force their way into the cab, then use a stun gun on Warren to get him under control.
At least one person from 11th Avenue sought medical treatment for minor injuries from the crash.
Cpl. Richard Pratt was handling the accident while Patrolman Isiah Price took Warren to The Methodist Hospitals Northlake campus for treatment from the stun gun and possibly minor cuts he obtained when police broke glass to get inside the truck.
