14 DAY TRIAL // This past weekend, a man in Arizona, US, stole an ambulance and used it to drive himself home. Otherwise put, he discharged himself from hospital and made sure that he got home safely without any help from doctors or the police.
The problem is that, following this desperate attempt to break free from hospital and get back home to friends and family, the man got in serious trouble with the law. In fact, word has it that he simply switched his hospital bed to a prison one.
Breaking free in a stolen ambulance is never a good idea
As mentioned, the incident occurred in Arizona, US, this past weekend. Thus, it was on Sunday that the patient, admitted at the West Valley Hospital in the city of Goodyear, simply walked out of his room and then out of the building without anybody noticing.
Having made it outside the West Valley Hospital, the man chanced to spot a Buckeye Valley Fire District ambulance that was parked on the side of the road. Desperate to leave the hospital, the man, said to be in his late 30s, simply got behind the wheel.
He then started the engine, pushed the accelerator pedal and drove himself home, The Arizona Republic informs. His journey took him from Goodyear all the way to the city of Avondale. Once he reached his destination, Michael Lopez simply parked the ambulance and walked inside his house.
Not the best escape plan in the books
Probably because he was too homesick to spend some time trying to come up with a proper escape plan, the man failed to realize that stealing an ambulance would draw much more attention to himself than hijacking some other car would.
What's more, he failed to realize that the ambulance he stole from the parking lot next to Arizona's West Valley Hospital was fitted with a GPS tracking system. Hence, he was quite surprised when police officers showed up at his door and arrested him.
His deed will not go unpunished
It is understood that, apart from stealing an ambulance and using it to drive himself home, Michael Lopez refused to put an end to his joyride when a group of police officers asked him to pull over. Consequently, he now stands accused of theft, felony flight, failure to yield to police, and disorderly conduct.
If found guilty, the man risks spending quite a while behind bars. Then again, it might be that, when he faces a judge for the first time, he will plead temporary insanity. After all, this man did run away from a hospital without doctors' permission on the grounds that he was being held there against his will, so this defense could work in his favor.