A man was arrested Wednesday afternoon after a chase involving a stolen ambulance and multiple law enforcement agencies ended when the vehicle crashed into a utility pole in Clayton County.
Ladarius Williams was being treated at Piedmont Henry Hospital in Stockbridge before he stole a private Amerimed ambulance from the facility and drove away, a Georgia State Patrol spokeswoman confirmed.
According to Clayton Sheriff Levon Allen, paramedics were still in the ambulance when it was taken and chose to bail out of the moving vehicle.
The driver led officers on a chase into Clayton, during which troopers made several attempts to stop the ambulance with PIT maneuvers, a GSP spokeswoman said. Their initial attempts were ineffective because of the size and speed of the ambulance.
The chase continued on surface streets and through residential neighborhoods, the spokeswoman said. Atlanta police were able to get in front of the ambulance and an officer tried to deploy a “stop-stick” to blow out the vehicle’s tires. The suspect swerved toward the officer, nearly hitting him while evading the stop-stick, the spokeswoman said.
During the chase, the driver hit multiple patrol cars, drove over mailboxes and destroyed other private property, according to GSP. A second attempt at using a stop-stick successfully blew out the ambulance’s rear, passenger-side tires.
At last, a state trooper performed a successful PIT maneuver, causing the ambulance to crash into a concrete utility pole on Tara Boulevard near Dixon Road. The pursuit ended nearly 10 miles from the hospital.
Credit: Clayton County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Clayton County Sheriff's Office
After the crash, Williams allegedly continued to flee on foot before he was stopped with a Taser, the GSP spokeswoman said.
Police officers from Atlanta, Clayton, Jonesboro and Stockbridge, as well as Clayton deputies, assisted state troopers in the chase.
Williams is facing charges of aggravated assault against a law enforcement officer, felony fleeing, obstruction, theft by taking and hit-and-run. He will be booked into the Clayton jail once he is cleared by medical personnel.
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