Suspect Steals Ambulance for Arson Attempt on Idaho DHS Offices

Authorities in Meridian, Idaho, are investigating an unidentified suspect who stole an ambulance from a local hospital late Wednesday and drove it into a building housing U.S. Department of Homeland Security offices in what police described as an attempted arson.

The incident unfolded just after 11 p.m. in the Boise suburb, according to Meridian Police Chief Tracy Basterrechea. The suspect took an unoccupied ambulance from a bay at St. Luke's West hospital, a facility owned by St. Luke's Health System. The individual then drove the vehicle through a nearby parking lot and retrieved several gas cans that had been placed in surrounding vegetation, Basterrechea said. The ambulance was subsequently driven directly into the entrance of the Portico North building, shattering glass doors and causing structural damage.

Once inside, the suspect poured an accelerant both inside and outside the vehicle but fled the scene without igniting it, apparently startled by the arrival of responding officers and emergency personnel. No one was injured in the event, and authorities confirmed there is no indication of an ongoing threat to the public. The theft temporarily disrupted ambulance services...