BOISE, Idaho — Law enforcement officials in Idaho launched a manhunt Thursday for an individual who hijacked an ambulance from a medical facility and deliberately crashed it into a building containing Department of Homeland Security offices.
The perpetrator covered the stolen emergency vehicle with flammable liquid before ramming it into the structure late Wednesday night, according to Meridian Police Chief Tracy Basterrechea. He declined to specify what type of accelerant was used on both the interior and exterior of the ambulance.
“It appears the suspect was unable to ignite the accelerant before being scared off by responding agencies,” Basterrechea stated.
The dramatic incident unfolded around 11:10 p.m. Wednesday in Meridian, a suburb outside Boise, law enforcement reported.
According to Basterrechea, the individual commandeered the ambulance from St. Luke’s hospital property and maneuvered it northward across a parking area. The suspect then obtained gasoline containers that had been hidden in nearby landscaping, the chief explained.
Television footage revealed destroyed glass entrance doors at the office complex.
St. Luke’s Health System owns the targeted structure, which sits within a larger commercial development called The Portico, adjacent to the medical center. Additional businesses operating in Portico North include SelectHealth Inc., St. Luke’s Home Health and Hospice, and Quest Diagnostics.
The medical facility has drawn public backlash for renting office space to the Department of Homeland Security during President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement initiatives.
“There has been a lot of rhetoric” surrounding the leasing arrangement, Basterrechea noted, emphasizing that “comments on social media such as ‘property damage isn’t violence’ is absolutely false.”
The police chief characterized the episode as “a serious criminal act.”
“This was absolutely an act of violence, and if the suspect had not been interrupted, there is no doubt this building would have been burned, putting the lives of first responders and others at risk,” Basterrechea declared.
The Meridian Police Department is spearheading the investigation while collaborating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security, and additional agencies.
