An Austin woman is in custody after allegedly stealing an ambulance and leading officers in a chase through Garland on May 9.
According to Garland Police, officers received a call at approximately 4:50 p.m. about an ambulance involved in a hit-and-run in the 400 block of Sonora Road, located in a neighborhood near Gatewood Park.
The Dallas Morning News reported the calls came in because the ambulance hit a gas pipe and a fence without stopping, apparently damaging several properties while fleeing, but no parked cars were hit.
However, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram wrote that the police pursuit began because officers were responding to a call that described a hit-and-run involving another vehicle. According to the Star, the driver had collided with a vehicle on Sonora Road before fleeing, which prompted the call. It is unclear at this time which of these versions of events is true.
Upon arrival at the scene, officers determined that the ambulance had been reported stolen from Baylor Medical Center in Dallas. The ambulance belongs to the Wilmer Fire Department.
According to the Garland Police Department, officers located the ambulance and tried to pull the driver over. The driver reportedly refused to stop, instead turning on the vehicle’s emergency lights and sirens and leading police on a chase.
Garland Police alleged that the driver, who may have been under the influence of an illegal narcotic, drove recklessly through a residential area and over residential lawns.
The driver made it 5 miles while being chased by police before eventually crashing through a guardrail and disabling the ambulance on the 2400 block of Rowlett Road. No injuries were reported, and the suspect was taken into custody without further incident.
Garland Police identified the driver as 34-year-old Kimberly Fouty, who is now being held at Garland Detention Center on charges of Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle, Failure to Stop and Leave ID, Evading Arrest and Detention, and Driving While Intoxicated. The Star reports this is Fouty’s third instance of DWI.
Her bail has not been set, and it is unclear whether Fouty has an attorney.