Man accused of stealing ambulance in Fresno to get back to Reedley

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A man is behind bars accused of stealing an ambulance and leading police on a slow-speed chase.

It started just after 9:30 pm Sunday at a home in east central Fresno on Lamona and Peach.

Police say American Ambulance paramedics were there for an emergency but left the keys inside the vehicle.

That's when 26-year-old Gilberto Martinez of Reedley got in and drove off.

Police followed him until he pulled over at the Clovis Avenue exit off Highway 180.

Martinez said he was trying to get back to Reedley to see his wife and child.

The stolen ambulance was returned, and Martinez was booked into the Fresno County jail.