Man Charged with Kidnap After Ambulance Theft

A 31-year-old man from Stoke-on-Trent has been charged with kidnap and multiple driving offenses after allegedly stealing an ambulance with a paramedic, a patient, and another individual inside from outside Royal Stoke University Hospital on Wednesday evening.

The incident occurred at approximately 8:15 p.m. on March 25, when the suspect entered the parked emergency vehicle outside the hospital's main entrance and drove away, according to Staffordshire Police. Officers responded immediately, launching a large-scale operation that included a police dog unit and an aircraft to track the ambulance through the Chesterton area of Stoke-on-Trent. No keys had been left inside the vehicle at the time of the theft.

Police pursued the ambulance until it stopped at an Esso petrol station on the A34, at the junction of Liverpool Road and London Road on the outskirts of Chesterton. The suspect attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended by a police dog. Additional searches were conducted in nearby marshland off London Road to ensure no further threats. Authorities confirmed that no one inside the ambulance sustained injuries during the ordeal.

Marshall Leese, of Hanley in Stoke-on-Trent,...