Man arrested after stealing ambulance from B.C. hospital, RCMP say

A man has been arrested after he allegedly stole an ambulance from a hospital in B.C.'s Interior and went on a joyride earlier this month.

Penticton RCMP said officers responded to a report of a man who got into a parked ambulance at a local hospital and drove off with it on Jan. 17.

Mounties discovered the ambulance abandoned a few blocks away.

"Multiple officers quickly responded to the area," Const. Dayne Lyons said in a news release. "Police Dog Services, Forensic Identification Services, Indigenous Policing Services, and patrol officers all hit the road to conduct patrols, conduct a dog track, lock down a scene and a perimeter, and analyze the recovered ambulance."

Less than an hour later, Mounties received a call from a concerned resident saying there was a suspicious man hiding in the bushes near their house.

"Officers responded to this new scene and located the suspect male," Lyons added. "We are very appreciative of the community member noticing a person they found suspicious and calling police to report it."

The man was arrested and is being held in custody. Charges of theft of a motor vehicle are being forwarded to the BC Prosecution Service for consideration.