LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – The man accused of stealing an ambulance in downtown Las Vegas last week told police he was trying to “escape danger,” an arrest report reveals.
The suspect was identified as 28-year-old Zachary Bodine, currently held in Clark County Detention Center.
Around 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 17, the Las Vegas Fire Department received a medical call for service at the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Fremont Street. A two-person unit responded to assist the patient.
At 6:12 a.m. the unit advised dispatchers that the ambulance was stolen by an “unknown suspect.”
Police learned that the suspect accused of stealing the ambulance was “driving with lights and sirens in a reckless manner.” LVMPD officers positioned themselves behind the vehicle during the pursuit and attempted to stop it. However, Bodine disregarded lawful signals to pull over and continued driving dangerously with lights and sirens through three jurisdictions, including LVMPD, the State of Nevada, and North Las Vegas.
Police say Bodine took the ambulance on a “40-minute joy ride on surface streets,” while running red lights, driving against traffic directions, and endangering the lives of hundreds of citizen drivers.
Bodine’s ride ended when he collided with another vehicle at the intersection of Centennial and Pecos. North Las Vegas police officers arriving at the scene observed Bodine in the driver’s seat and took him into custody without incident.
Paramedics working before Bodine’s theft say the call they were responding to involved a man suffering from breathing problems at the Heart Attack Grill. They parked the ambulance approximately 50 feet south of the patient to allow for the passage of RTC buses. During the incident, firefighters had to concentrate on the patient and had their back to the ambulance.
When they determined that the patient needed to be transported to the hospital and turned to collect the gurney, they noticed that the unit was no longer where they left it.
Firefighters told police that the vehicle was left “running, unlocked, with the keys in the ignition,” according to the report.
The victim of the crash told police that he had been turning onto Centennial Parkway when something impacted the rear of his vehicle. After his airbags were deployed and he regained control of the vehicle, he was able to exit the vehicle. He noticed the ambulance appeared to be disabled and was “distraught over the accident,” thinking he had interrupted first responders on their way to an emergency call.
The victim had sustained a sprained neck, contusions to his chest and abdomen, and swelling to his arm.
A backpack obtained from inside the ambulance contained Arizona Maricopa County subpoena court paperwork, alongside a pneumatic firearm.
Bodine, while being interviewed by investigators, claimed he had stolen the vehicle as a “crime of opportunity” to “escape the danger he was in at the downtown area.” However, police confirmed that no report was filed about the alleged danger.
When asked about why he refused to stop for officers, Bodine claimed he “felt the need for survival and had to get away, get out of the city,” according to the report.
He also “began to weep and became emotional” when officers informed of the other driver’s injuries in the crash, as well as the other lives he put in danger during the pursuit.
Bodine is currently facing charges of Grand Larceny Auto, Disobeying Peace Offices and Endangering Other Person, Disregard for the Safety of Persons, Injury or Tampering with a Vehicle, and Carrying a Concealed Weapon without a Permit.
He remains in custody and is due in court for a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, May 7.
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