Fla. Police Say a Man With a Broken Foot tried to Steal an Ambulance

July 07--Sanford police released more details Wednesday about a Lake Mary man they say stole an ambulance stopped in front of a hospital Tuesday.

James Sessions, 43, faces charges of grand theft of a motor vehicle and leaving the scene of a hit-and-run that left property damage.

Paramedics assigned to the ambulance, Sanford Fire Rescue 31, had just dropped off a patient at Central Florida Regional Hospital Tuesday afternoon, police said.

The vehicle was stopped in front of the hospital and a paramedic, Jeff Detzel, was in the back, records show.

Sessions, who had a broken foot and was on crutches, allegedly walked up to the ambulance, got into the driver's seat and drove off, police said. A firefighter in another ambulance behind him, Rescue 38, saw him take vehicle and followed him, police said.

Detzel "confronted" Sessions, who told him to "get off," police said. Sessions then crashed the ambulance into another vehicle, giving Detzel time to jump out. No injuries were reported in the crash.

Sessions kept driving down State Road 46, made a few turns, and stopped in front of a dead end on Jewett Lane, police said.

A worker in a business on Jewett Lane saw the ambulance coming and noticed that the driver did not look like a paramedic -- he was wearing a blue shirt and khaki shorts, police said. The worker blocked the ambulance with his vehicle, then saw Sessions jump out of the ambulance and into a retention pond, police said.

The firefighters from Rescue 38 soon arrived and kept watch until police came to arrest Sessions. Sessions told officials he could not stand up because of his broken foot, and two people had to help him into a police cruiser.

Sessions is being held in the John E. Polk Correctional Facility in Seminole County on a $2,500 bond.

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