Marshall Leese, 32, has admitted to falsely imprisoning a patient and a paramedic by taking an ambulance with them inside. Leese also pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking, failing to provide a specimen for analysis, and driving without insurance at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.
The incident occurred on March 25 around 8:15 p.m. GMT outside the Royal Stoke University Hospital in Stoke-on-Trent. Police pursued the stolen ambulance until Leese stopped at a petrol station on the A34 in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire.
A second ambulance was dispatched to the location to recover the patient and transport them back to the hospital. A spokesperson for West Midlands Ambulance Service confirmed that a welfare check was also conducted on the paramedic to ensure their well-being.
Leese, who is from Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, was remanded into custody. Sentencing is scheduled for a later date. Judge Sally Hancox described the event as "unusual."