October 10, 2010
Sun-Times Media Wire

A West Side man was ordered held on $50,000 bond Sunday on charges alleging he stole an ambulance that had two paramedics inside working on his friend in the Garfield Park community.

Judge James Brown ordered Jimmy McCoy held on $50,000 bond during a hearing in Cook County Criminal Court.

Jimmy McCoy is accused of stealing an ambulance that had two paramedics inside who were working on his friend.

McCoy, 27, who was charged with felony possession of a stolen motor vehicle, is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing Oct. 15 in West Felony Court (Br. 44).

McCoy has four felony convictions on drug charges and one attempted robbery, Assistant State's Atty. Michael Cheronis said in court. Police said McCoy had previously been arrested 32 times.

About 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Ambulance 23 was stopped in the 4300 block of West Wilcox Street and paramedics were treating a person in the back when the alleged theft occurred, Fire Media Affairs Director Larry Langford said.

Emergency workers told police “they were attending to a diabetic patient in the rear of the ambulance when they felt the ambulance begin to move,” Cheronis said in court. “He was driving his friend to the hospital.”

Langford said McCoy allegedly “jumped in the ambulance and took off with it” with the emergency lights already activated.

The paramedics, a man and woman, immediately radioed in: “This is Ambulance 23. Our ambulance has been stolen and we are in the back with a patient,” Langford said.

“He probably thought he was helping,” Langford added.

The paramedics were “somewhat agitated,” but handled the situation professionally, Langford said.

McCoy began driving north on North Kostner Avenue when Fire Truck 26, which had gone on the medical run with the ambulance, stopped the vehicle about three blocks away.

“Truck 26 heard the ambulance taken over, so they made a u-turn and made it to the intersection of Madison and Kostner where it blocked the ambulance,’’ Langford said.

Police surrounded the ambulance and arrested McCoy, of the 4800 block of West Superior Street.

McCoy allegedly told officers he “thought he could get to the hospital quicker’’ than the ambulance workers, police said.

Langford said the patient was taken by another ambulance to the hospital.

No one was injured.

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