SAN ANTONIO — A 28-year-old woman stole an ambulance Tuesday morning, right after it had dropped off a patient at a downtown area hospital who was COVID-19 positive, police said.
"When they took the patient out of the ambulance, at some point an adult female jumped inside the driver's seat and took off," Doug Greene, a San Antonio Police Department spokesperson, said. "Before leaving, she did strike a concrete pillar at the hospital."
The call for a stolen vehicle came in around 11:30 a.m. at Methodist Metropolitan Hospital, located at 1310 McCullough Avenue, just north of downtown near I-35. According to investigators, the San Antonio Fire Department emergency medical technicians left their unit running adjacent to the emergency room entrance. The SAFD EMT's were inside the hospital when the suspect, believed to be a former patient, jumped into the empty vehicle and drove away.
On Wednesday, police released the suspect's name and mug shot. They said Ashley Nicole Moreno had been released from the hospital before she allegedly stole the emergency vehicle - a crime SAPD said has happened often.
"I don't know why. Unfortunately, this is not the first time this has happened," Greene said. "People have a variety of reasons why they do this."
Police used tracking devices to find the abandoned ambulance a few blocks away at the intersection of Ashby Place and Lewis Street.
Moreno, they said, was detained by SAFD personnel near their station on Russel.
Moreno is being charged with theft of a vehicle ($300k or more), which is a first degree felony. Her bond is set at $50,000.00.
