Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
PONCHATOULA, La. (WGNO) — A Ponchatoula man was arrested Tuesday, Sept. 19, for allegedly stealing an ambulance from a Jefferson Parish hospital.
Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards said deputies responded to a report of a stolen Acadian Ambulance being tracked on Interstate 55 between LaPlace and Manchac around 11:00 a.m.
Edwards said TPSO deputies and other law enforcement agencies began gathering at different exits, waiting for the ambulance to arrive.
A deputy saw the ambulance pass milepost 20 south of Ponchatoula and signaled for the driver to pull over.
The driver, identified by TPSO as 28-year-old Geoffrey Armstrong, reportedly complied and was taken into custody with help from the Louisiana State Police and the Ponchatoula Police Department.
Deputies said Armstrong told them he was waiting for a ride home and became impatient “and therefore ‘acquired’ an ambulance so he could return to Ponchatoula.”
Armstrong faces a charge of felony possession of stolen property.
Edwards said the ambulance was returned in good condition.
The investigation is ongoing, and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office will be investigating.
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