Ambulance turns into getaway car, state police arrest suspect after chase through Beaver County
On Wednesday night in Beaver County, a group of Pennsylvania State Police troopers surrounded an ambulance, and it wasn't to escort it to the hospital; it was to stop it.
This happened in Industry Borough, where a patient turned the ambulance into a getaway car, and it was quite an odd scene for many.
According to state police, 23-year-old Justin Corrie ran past medics when they arrived for a psychiatric call, and he tried to get into two other vehicles before getting into the ambulance. He then led troopers on a chase from Industry Borough to Center Township.
Medic Rescue was the company that responded to the call and had their ambulance stolen. According to court documents provided to KDKA-TV, Corrie at one point hit 93 miles per hour during the chase.
"Patients are unpredictable, especially if there's a mental health component to their issue at that time. You don't know what somebody's capable of," said Bill Pasquale, Director of Operations for Medic Rescue.
After stealing the ambulance, Corrie took off from Midland Beaver Road in the Industry Borough and was driving recklessly and violating traffic laws.
"There was nobody chasing him at this time, and he was passing vehicles in dangerous areas, so we were very fortunate that nobody was hurt," said Pasquale.
Luckily, Medic Rescue's fleet is equipped with technology, and they were able to track the location and speed of the stolen vehicle. They were able to provide the Pennsylvania State Police with the information, so troopers were able to find him and stop him.
"The trooper had to force it off the road. Fortunately, he did that in a way that did not endanger anybody else. The vehicle is damaged and out of service at this time," said Pasquale.
Troopers were able to stop Corrie and take him into custody. He faces charges including fleeing a police officer, reckless driving, theft, speeding, and more. Luckily, there were no injuries to anyone involved or civilians. The incident did cause damage to both PSP's vehicle and the Medic Rescue's ambulance.
"Anytime we lose a vehicle in service, it's a hit, and the cost of repairs is going to be expensive," said Pasquale.
