A man is dead after stealing an ambulance belonging to the Fort Worth Fire Department and driving it to Austin, officials say. The ambulance was stolen from Fire Station 4 at 2954 Old Mansfield Road in Fort Worth on Thursday morning.

Chase and Fatal Shooting

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, state troopers were notified at 6:30 a.m. that the stolen ambulance was traveling southbound on I-35 in Williamson County. Troopers attempted to pull the vehicle over, but the driver refused to stop. The driver took the ambulance onto South U.S. 290 and intentionally rammed multiple vehicles and evaded DPS troopers. State troopers attempted a PIT maneuver to stop the ambulance, but it was unsuccessful. The ambulance continued ramming vehicles as it drove onto the upper deck of I-35, at which point a DPS trooper shot the driver, who was later pronounced dead at the scene.

The Austin Police Department reported that the upper deck of I-35, as well as a large portion of southbound I-35 from US Highway 183 into the downtown area, were closed for several hours following the incident. Drivers were encouraged to avoid the area and use alternative routes if possible, police said.

Original reporting: Richardson, TX News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.