Man escapes ambulance, steals car, and leads police on chase in Seattle
Aug 7, 2026, 6:15 AM
A photo of Seattle Police Department and Seattle Fire Department vehicles. (Photo: Jason Rantz, Seattle Red)
(Photo: Jason Rantz, Seattle Red)
A 28-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday after he escaped from an ambulance, stole a car, and fled from the police.
At approximately 7:16 a.m., Seattle Police Department (SPD) officers found a shirtless man running through heavy traffic near 4th Avenue S. and S. Holgate Street, SPD announced Thursday.
The suspect appeared to be going through a crisis, and officers decided to send him to the hospital due to safety concerns.
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Situation quickly spiraled after Seattle man escaped the ambulance
As the suspect was being transported to the hospital, he escaped from the ambulance near 4th Avenue S. and S. Jackson Street. Shortly after the suspect escaped, he stole a woman’s car as she was parking it.
SPD officers used the vehicle’s tracking system to locate it near S. Grand Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way S. after it hit a parked vehicle. The suspect ran from the vehicle and led SPD on a chase until he was apprehended.
Real Time Crime Center analysts notified SPD officers that the suspect had been driving the stolen car through oncoming traffic at a high rate of speed while hanging out of the vehicle.
The suspect was ultimately booked into King County Jail for stealing the car, driving recklessly, and hit-and-run.
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