Oct 20
Excerpts from wgntv.com:
A Chicago Fire Department ambulance was stolen from a station on the city’s West Side at around 11:30 p.m.. The ambulance was parked at the fire station on the 1100 block of South California Avenue near Filmore Avenue.
The ambulance, with minor damage and nothing missing, was recovered from the 2600 block of S. Wolcott by a patrol unit. No one is in custody.
The fire department said there .
thanks Martin
Excerpts from nbcchicago.com:
A Chicago man is accused of stealing a city ambulance and leading police on a 70-mile chase through several counties. But records show that neither the city nor Cook County is pressing charges for the theft – leaving only charges in Grundy County.
Newly obtained video shows the very beginning of a police pursuit after the Chicago Fire Department ambulance was stolen from outside the Chinatown firehouse on April 25. The dashcam video shows a squad car first spotting the vehicle at 5:06 p.m. on I-55, 22 minutes after it was stolen off the street.
After a prolonged pursuit, authorities said 45-year-old Chicago attorney Benjamin Herrington was eventually arrested near Dwight in Livingston County. He was taken to a hospital in Morris, which is how the case ended up on the desk of Grundy County State’s Attorney Jason Helland.
Herrington was charged with felony possession of a stolen motor vehicle and damage to government property. He has pleaded not guilty, was released on bond earlier this month and is slated to go to trial in October.
The Chicago police report filed when investigators closed the case on May 6 reveals that the damages to the ambulance required repairs totaling $7,833.44 – and that “no additional charges would be sought in Cook County.” The reason? “Grundy County’s intent to charge in their jurisdiction and Herrington’s possible mental health concerns,” the report reads. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office said CPD never referred the matter for charging.
“One of the criticisms I had was, ‘How does a Chicago ambulance that was stolen in Cook County end up being at the cost of the Grundy County taxpayers?’ That was a legitimate concern,” Helland said, adding that his answer to the questions he’s faced is: “When an offender puts Grundy County at risk, we’re not going to ask for another jurisdiction to successfully prosecute the case.”
“I’ve always told my prosecutors, don’t rely on other prosecutors in other counties not under our direction to do the right thing,” he added. “We don’t know the strengths and weaknesses of their cases, but if they’re committing criminal acts in Grundy County, they need to be held accountable.”
As for mental health concerns being a reason Chicago police didn’t pursue charges, Helland estimated that 75 to 80% of his office’s cases are tied in some way to substance abuse or mental health problems. And without a robust and accessible system in place to treat those issues, the responsibility often falls to the criminal justice system.
“Mental health considerations are factored into account ultimately when we have a disposition on a case,” Helland continued. “We want to make sure that once there’s a finding of guilty or a plea of guilty, that there’s a constructive sentence that, if an individual commits an offense based on a mental issue, that they have the proper rehabilitation and get the proper treatment.”
CPD declined to explain in any further detail why they closed the case without making their own arrest.
thanks Rob
Jul 25
Excerpts from nbc5chicago.com:
Surveillance video from April 25 shows a Chicago Fire Department ambulance turn onto Cermak, coming to a stop in front of the Chinatown firehouse at 4:30 p.m. Both paramedics walk into the firehouse, leaving the ambulance idling for roughly 12 minutes before a man walks up, first passing the firehouse then circling back around to the front of the vehicle.
At 4:44 p.m., the man opens the driver’s side door – which appears to be unlocked – and climbs inside. Just five seconds later, the ambulance pulls away.
Another 12 minutes pass before the paramedics can be seen walking back outside, stopping in their tracks and turning to one another in shock as they realize the ambulance is gone.
During the more than 70-mile police chase, the driver – who authorities later identified as 45-year-old Chicago attorney Benjamin Herrington – delivered an incoherent and at times disturbing rant via the ambulance’s radio before he was eventually taken custody in the far southwest suburbs. Herrington was charged in Grundy County with possession of a stolen vehicle and damage to government property, both felonies. Herrington has not posted bond and remains in custody in the Grundy County Jail. There is a status hearing in his case next week, with a trial date set for September.
But when it comes to the theft of the ambulance itself, the Chicago Police Department said it closed the case without an arrest of its own, and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office said the matter was never referred to them for charging.
The Chicago Fire Department said at times, they need to leave ambulances running for the purposes of electronics, charging batteries and cooling. But the department is currently in the process of outfitting its more than 90 ambulances each with a new anti-theft device that allows the ambulances to idle without the keys, and if someone breaks into the vehicle or tries to force the ignition, would turn the ambulance off.
thanks Martin
Excerpts from nbcchicago.com:
A man has been charged with stealing a Chicago Fire Department ambulance Monday in the Chinatown neighborhood and leading police on a chase that lasted more than two hours.
According to police, Benjamin K. Herrington, 46, entered the ambulance around 4:40 p.m. as it sat empty, parked on the street outside a fire station in the 200 block of West Cermak Road.
Herrington then allegedly took the ambulance on a more than 70-mile ride before being taken into custody in a dramatic pursuit that lasted nearly two hours and shut down both sides of Interstate 55 in Livingston County.
Illinois State Police remained in pursuit of the vehicle before it blew a tire and ultimately was stopped just short of exit 217 in Dwight.
Herrington, from Chicago, was charged with fleeing from police, resisting arrest and possession of a stolen vehicle, Illinois State Police said.
He was treated at a hospital and taken to Grundy County Jail, where’s he’s awaiting transfer to Cook County. Chicago police are the lead investigating agency.
thanks Rob
Apr 25
Excerpts from wgntv.com:
At around 4:40 p.m., police said a CFD ambulance was stolen by an unknown man in the 200 block of West Cermak. Police said the ambulance was parked on the street and there was no patient inside.
SkyCam9 observed the stolen ambulance driving on the outbound Stevenson at speeds up to 80 miles per hour. At around 5:55 p.m., the left rear wheel was blown out. The driver was taken into custody near Dwight, Illinois.
wgntv photo
wgntv photo
thanks Martin
Excerpts from ChicagoTribune.com:
A 34-year-old man who was kicked out of St. Bernard Hospital stole an ambulance that was outside early Tuesday. He was waiting to be treated about 3:55 a.m. when he grew impatient and disruptive, prompting staff to eject him from the hospital. Just outside the man stole an ambulance and drove it for about a block when he crashed into a light pole and a street sign, mowing them down.
The man was taken into custody by police and taken back to St. Bernard Hospital for treatment.
The ambulance came to a stop with two flat tires near a guard rail for the Dan Ryan Expressway. Its front bumper was partially crushed and missing a headlight.
thanks Dan
Chicago Ambulance 52 was stolen from Norwegian Hospital on Sunday at 1:40AM. Radioman 911 has the radio traffic which includes the original report from the ambulance crew and the subsequent police traffic with the arrest.
The Chicago Sun-Times has an article HERE.
A 36-year-old intoxicated Avondale man with no criminal history is accused of jumping behind the wheel of an ambulance and driving off with it, making it about a mile before crashing into four parked cars and causing more than $100,000 damage early Sunday, police said.
Juan J. Hernandez of the 3600 block of West Belmont Avenue, was charged with driving while under the influence, criminal damage to government property, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, reckless driving and failure to carry a driver’s license, according to a police News Affairs statement.
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