Man steals ambulance from fatal stabbing scene at Downey Library, leads police in pursuit

A fatal stabbing occurred in front of the Downey Library around 9:40 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 13. A man unrelated to the stabbing investigation then stole an ambulance that was parked at the scene on Saturday morning, leading police on a pursuit that ended in a crash in Alhambra, according to the Downey Police Department.

The stabbing was reported in front of the Downey Library at 11121 Brookshire Avenue, where authorities declared a male with a stab wound dead at the scene. The man’s identity has not been released, pending notification of his next of kin.

Witnesses told police the stabbing suspect had left the area on foot and headed towards Downey High School. The library and high school were placed on lockdown as police searched for the suspect, authorities said.

A suspect was taken into custody on the high school campus, police said. The suspect was described by police as a 23-year-old male transient.

As emergency personnel responded to the stabbing at the library, a different male suspect stole a Downey Fire Department ambulance that had been parked at the scene.

Video footage from freelance news organization OnScene.TV shows the ambulance traveling through a parking lot as police chase the vehicle on foot.

Downey police pursued the stolen ambulance until the suspect crashed the ambulance into a parked car in Alhambra. Police took the suspect in the ambulance theft, identified as a 52-year-old man from Los Angeles, into custody.

Police said the stabbing and ambulance theft appeared to be isolated. Police did not immediately identify the suspects who were arrested.