Louisiana Man Arrested for Stealing Ambulance After Growing Impatient While Waiting for Ride

Patience. It seems to be what very few people have anymore.

A man was arrested on Tuesday in Ponchatoula, Louisiana for stealing an ambulance at a local hospital.

28-year-old Geoffrey Armstrong from Ponchatoula was arrested for being in possession of a stolen ambulance.

The reason he stole the ambulance

The reason he took the ambulance? He had grown impatient while waiting for a ride home.

Here's how it all unfolded

Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards said just before 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 19, 2023, deputies were alerted of a stolen Acadian Ambulance which was being tracked by GPS on Interstate 55 between LaPlace and Manchac.

According to Acadian Ambulance, the emergency vehicle was taken from a hospital in Jefferson Parish and was seen headed north towards Tangipahoa Parish. Deputies and other law enforcement agencies set up on the interstate and at numerous exits awaiting the ambulance to pass while Acadian Ambulance continued to monitor their GPS system.

At a post just south of Ponchatoula, one of the deputies eventually saw the ambulance pass by and was able to activate their emergency overhead lighting and got the driver to pull over.

The driver, later identified as Armstrong, complied and pulled the ambulance over. With the assistance of the Louisiana State Police and Ponchatoula Police Department, Armstrong was taken into custody without incident.

Armstrong's big explanation

Upon speaking with Armstrong, he confessed to deputies that he was simply growing impatient while waiting for a ride home and therefore "acquired" an ambulance so he could return to Ponchatoula.

The charges

Armstrong was booked into the Tangipahoa Parish Jail on one count of Felony Possession of Stolen Property.

The ambulance was returned to Acadian Ambulance in good working condition and the investigation into how Armstrong "acquired" the emergency vehicle is being investigated by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office.