Man crashes stolen ambulance into Whataburger drive-thru in Houston, police say

HOUSTON — A Sunday night joyride in a stolen ambulance ended on a somber note for one Houston man.

According to a police spokesperson, Josue Vega, 26, helped himself to a Houston Fire Department ambulance parked at an area hospital just before 11 p.m. local time, the Houston Chronicle reported.

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A series of crashes followed, culminating with Vega hitting three cars in a fast-food restaurant’s parking lot before slamming headfirst into the first car in lineat a Whataburger drive-thru, the newspaper reported.

“Some dude just came in an ambulance and crashed it, just came flying in the parking lot and hit it head-on,” the drive-thru driver who was struck by Vega told KTRK-TV.

According to the Houston Police Department, the ambulance was lifted from West Houston Medical Center, about one mile from the Whataburger.

“He came flying around the corner, and both of us said, ‘You know, he’s moving a little fast. He’s getting real close.’ And then the next thing I know, he’s in my hood,” the victim told KTRK.

The impact from the collision with the stolen ambulance drove the first car backward into the car behind it in the drive-thru line, the Chronicle reported.

Although no injuries were reported, Whataburger employees confirmed to KTRK that the man entered the fast-food chain after the drive-thru crash and ran around the kitchen.

Houston police took Vega into custody on one count of felony theft and a misdemeanor charge of failing to stop and provide police with information, the Chronicle reported.

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