GOODYEAR, Ariz. — A 46-year-old Pima County man accused of crashing an ambulance after stealing it from outside a hospital in a Phoenix suburb reportedly told authorities he wanted to go home.
The Buckeye Valley Fire Department ambulance was stolen Sunday from outside the emergency room of a hospital in Goodyear and collided with a car at a nearby intersection after the driver ran a red light, police said in court documents.
The driver got out and ran but police then arrested Christopher Sauls, 46, of Ajo, allegedly in possession of a water bottle that an EMT had left in the ambulance, a probable-cause statement said.
The statement said a fire official estimated damage to the ambulance at $275,000 and said it'd take two years to replace.
According to the statement, Sauls “admitted to entering the ambulance and driving it so he could go to his home" in Ajo.
Sauls remained jailed Tuesday on multiple charges, including theft and criminal damage.
Court documents didn't list an attorney for Sauls who could comment on the allegations.
Ajo is 80 miles (127 kilometers) south of Goodyear.
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