Affidavit reveals new details on police pursuit of suspect with stolen ambulance

Court documents shed light into the police pursuit of a the man accused of stealing an ambulance at an El Paso hospital.

36-year-old Michial Bruce Sampson was charged with Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle and Evading Arrest in a Motor Vehicle.

Police officers were at Providence Hospital at 2001 N. Oregon on an unrelated call when they were informed an ambulance was being stolen, police said.

Police said Sampson was being admitted to the hospital by Fire Medical Services when he walked out and allegedly drove away in the ambulance at about 9:30 pm Monday.

Sampson was pursued from the Westside Hospital to the Northeast into New Mexico, police said.

A complaint affidavit states Sampson activated the ambulance’s emergency lights as he led police on a chase on US 54 south.

During the chase, Sampson was allegedly travelling at speeds up to 90 mph, ran several red lights in Northeast and Central, and ran other motorists off the road, police say.

The suspect eventually led police to Far East El Paso, where DPS troopers used spikes to puncture the tires on the ambulance on Loop 375.

Sampson allegedly drove into a desert area near Bob Hope and Pellicano in East El Paso, where was taken into custody by state troopers and Pebble Hills officers.

Police were able to capture the suspect when the ambulance’s oil and transmission pans ruptured, leaking all of the fluids onto the roadway.

Sampson was booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility under bonds totaling $15,000. Jail records show Sampson is from Spring, Texas.

Court documents state the ambulance is valued at $150,000.

The driver of the ambulance told police he picked up Sampson on a medical call on the 3800 block of Doniphan, then transported the man to Providence Hospital in West El Paso.

While obtaining a medical clearance at the hospital, the ambulance crew noticed Sampson ran out of the hospital into the parking lot.

As the driver ran into the parking lot, he allegedly noticed Sampson driving away in the ambulance. Investigators say they have surveillance footage from the hospital showing Sampson stealing the ambulance.