The Limestone County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement published on Facebook that Tyrek Dequavyious Hayes, 30, faces multiple charges, including three counts of theft, attempting to elude law enforcement and kidnapping. An EMT was in the ambulance when Hayes reportedly hijacked it.
According to the law information website FindLaw, if an individual intentionally flees from law enforcement, they may be charged with a misdemeanor unless the attempt to elude results in a death or an injury to an innocent bystander.
In that case, the individual may be faced with a felony.
“In addition, the court shall order the suspension of the driver’s license of the defendant for a period of not less than six months nor more than two years,” FindLaw said.
Lieutenant Jonathan Caldwell of the Athens Police Department told Newsweek that the department first got a call about Hayes allegedly stealing a wallet.
He said that Hayes got into his car and fled the area but rear-ended another vehicle within a half mile.
“He tried to overpower the other occupant to steal their car, but wasn’t successful and ran away,” Caldwell said.
Police were notified of the accident and they continued searching for Hayes in the area.
He said that Hayes broke into a nearby auto-repair shop and stole a car after taking a set of keys, but it was not long before he wrecked that car in a swampy area.
“At approximately 1 a.m., Athens-Limestone EMS were traveling north and noticed the vehicle,” the Facebook post published by the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office said. “They stopped to check on the welfare of the lone occupant, identified as Tyrek Dequavyious Hayes.”
Caldwell said that the ambulance driver got out of the vehicle for a moment while another EMT was sitting in the back. It was then, he said, that Hayes got into the driver’s seat and drove off.
He did not make it very far before he wrecked the ambulance near a creek.
At that time, Caldwell said several police departments from the surrounding areas were looking for Hayes.
A firetruck from a volunteer department responded to the ambulance wreck, which, per officials with the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office, was the third vehicle that Hayes allegedly stole that night.
“Law enforcement spotted him and engaged in a pursuit of the stolen fire truck,” the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office said in its Facebook post.
After traveling about a quarter mile off of the road, he crashed and totaled the firetruck after driving into a thicket.
Though he attempted to flee on foot, it was not long before he was apprehended by officers with the Athens Police Department and the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office.
Caldwell said the entire incident, from the time police got the call about the stolen wallet to the time Hayes was arrested, lasted about four hours.
In addition to facing charges of theft, eluding law enforcement and kidnapping, Hayes was also charged with assault, reckless endangerment, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Newsweek reached out to the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office for further comment.
A California man who reportedly stole a motorcycle was arrested after he led police on a high-speed chase but was apprehended when he stopped for gas.
Two suspects who were stopped after a high-speed chase in Las Vegas, Nevada, were also accused of stealing dozens of cases of Red Bull. One suspect blamed the incident on an addiction to Red Bull.
Another suspect led police on a chase that came to an end when he crashed into a house. The homeowner said it’s not the first time it’s happened.
