Ambulance stolen from hospital, crashes
Memphis woman being held on 100K bond after bizarre joyride
By DON WILBURN
donaldfwilburn@gmail.com
A routine patrol turned into a high-speed pursuit on Feb. 13 when an Arkansas State Trooper spotted a stolen ambulance speeding westbound on Interstate 40. The chase, which stretched for miles _nally ended after of_cers forced the ambulance off the road.
The incident began when Trooper Cade Padgett was patrolling along I-40 near the 241-mile marker. Over the radio, dispatch alerted of_cers that a 2011 Mercedes Sprinter ambulance had been stolen from Forrest City Medical Center and updates soon con_rmed that the stolen ambulance had made its way onto the westbound lanes of I-40.
Padgett _nally spotted the stolen ambulance around the 225-mile marker, wedged between two semi trucks in the right lane and attempted a traf_c stop.. Instead of stopping, the suspect hit the gas. As the ambulance weaved through traf_c, it became clear that the driver had no intention of surrendering.
With the chase nearing a populated area with heavy traf_c, Padgett executed a Tactical Vehicle Intervention (TVI). The iimpact caused the ambulance to spin into a roadside ditch, coming to rest on its side against the tree line.
For several tense minutes, officers held their positions, giving verbal commands for the driver to surrender. But the suspect was nowhere to be seen. A drone was deploy e d , revealing a heat signature just north of the crashed ambulancce. As officers prepared to release a K9 unit, a woman emerged from the treeline and gave herself up without further incident.
The suspect was identi _ed as Tamra Larue, 37. A background check revealed that her license was suspended at the time of the incident. She was transported to Forrest City Medical Center, where she was treated for minor injuries before being taken to Saint Francis County Detention Center.
Larue now faces a long list of charges, including felony eeing, theft by receiving, obstructing governmental operations and multiple traf_c violations. Larue is currently still in custody with her bond set at $100,000.Authorities have not released further details on why the ambulance was stolen in the _rst place.
LARUE
