A search is underway for the person who stole an ambulance from St. Luke’s Hospital in Meridian, Idaho, and used the vehicle to crash into a nearby office building that houses U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel. According to police, the suspect had poured gasoline or another unknown accelerant throughout the stolen vehicle before fleeing the scene on foot.
The suspect fled the scene before igniting the accelerant that could have made the damage much worse, according to authorities. Police believe the suspect may have fled before he could ignite the stolen ambulance when he heard officers responding to the scene shortly after the crash early Thursday morning.
Meridian Police Chief Tracy Basterrechea held a press conference at noon on Thursday and provided updates on the status of the case. According to authorities investigating the case, the suspect was believed to have been wearing a black shirt, tan pants, and wore a surgical mask to hide his face as he fled from the scene.
According to Basterrechea, the ambulance was stolen from St. Lukes Hospital’s ambulance bay at approximately 11:10 p.m. on Wednesday night. Basterrechea says the suspect had hidden gas canisters in nearby vegetation that were picked up after the ambulance was stolen. The suspect then drove the vehicle into the North Portico Building that houses Department of Homeland Security (DHS) offices shortly after midnight.
According to a report in the Idaho Statesman, the U.S. General Services Administration was leasing space at the Portico North building on behalf of DHS specifically to house U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement staff. The lease involves office space only and is not a detention facility.
About a week before the attack on the facility, a group called The Idaho 97 Project posted a list of ICE facilities in Idaho to be targeted for protest. The Meridian facility was listed in the posting.
Investigators say the suspect poured gasoline inside and around the ambulance. Basterrechea referred to the incident as “a serious criminal act”. Commenting on the seriousness of the situation, Chief Basterrechea said, “The theft and destruction of an emergency vehicle not only created risk to responding personnel, but it also temporarily removed a critical medical resource from the community.”
Basterrechea told reporters the recent rhetoric circulating on social media may have played a role in the attack on the building, saying, “There has been a lot of rhetoric about the Department of Homeland Security leasing office space at this location, and comments in some social media such as ‘property damage isn’t violence,’ is false. This was absolutely an act of violence. 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.”
According to Police Chief Basterrechea, the Meridan Police Department is leading the investigation with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, the Idaho State Police and other regional law enforcement entities.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Before his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
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