Thieves Targeting North Texas Ambulances

NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - North Texas thieves are now targeting ambulances. And the vehicles are getting robbed right outside emergency rooms.

Captain Kevin Deaver, with the Lewisville Police Department, says the thieves have a specific plan. "They're waiting at the hospital emergency rooms for the ambulances to arrive," explained Deaver. He says the thieves then hit, "…when the ambulances arrive and take the patient inside the emergency room for treatment."

On July 20 thieves hit an ambulance from the Coppell Fire Department when emergency workers delivered a patient at Medical Center of Lewisville. "A Jeep Grand Cherokee will pull up and one person will get out and open up that door and go inside the ambulance and retrieve the items that they're stealing," said Deaver.

In addition to medication, thieves are stealing valuable medical equipment. "The defibrillator that was stolen from the Coppell ambulance that's worth anywhere from about $20,000 to $30,000."

The thefts have also happened in Coppell, Denton and Dallas.

While there is surveillance video of at least one of the crimes, so far police have no suspects.

Anyone with information about the crimes is asked to call the Lewisville Police Department at (972) 219-8477 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 388-8477 (TIPS).