A Lansing man is charged with stealing an ambulance that Niles police say was taken from the parking lot of a Portillo’s restaurant in the north suburb.
In a Niles Police Department news release, authorities said the department was notified just before 4 p.m. Tuesday about a vehicle that was stolen from the Portillo’s restaurant parking lot, at 8832 W. Dempster St.
A person said only to be a male, at the time, had reportedly gotten into the vehicle – which was actually an ambulance owned by a private transport service. It was parked in the lot, running, and with one company worker inside. There were no patients, according to the release.
The male, now identified as Domanick Barr, 21, of the 3100 block of 188th St. in Lansing, reportedly drove the ambulance out of the lot unlawfully.
The employee, who was in the back of the ambulance at the time it was stolen, called 911 to report the theft. Police dispatchers were able to determine that the stolen ambulance was traveling southbound on nearby Interstate 294, according to the release.
The Illinois State Police was notified and the ambulance was ultimately stopped near I-294 and Ogden Avenue by ISP troopers and other local police agencies. Barr was taken into police custody at the scene and transported to a nearby hospital for medical treatment, the release explains.
The nature and extent of any injuries he may have sustained were not disclosed.
The employee who was in the back of the ambulance during the ordeal was found unharmed, authorities said. And, no injuries were reported.
The Niles Police Department is continuing to investigate the incident.