TAMPA – A 39-year-old Bay area man charged with stealing an ambulance Thursday night made his first appearance before a judge on Saturday.
Hubert Lee Credit is charged with one count of auto burglary and one count of grand theft auto.
He is being held at the Hillsborough County Jail on a bond of $4,000.
According to a Tampa Police Department report, Credit jumped into the Transcare Ambulance in the 300 block of West Genesee St. and took off with the emergency lights on.
At the time, the paramedics assigned to the vehicle were inside a residence responding to a call. Fortunately police were able to locate the stolen ambulance thanks to a GPS device.
Authorities caught up with Credit at the intersection of North Tampa St. and East 26th Ave. He was arrested without incident. The ambulance was not damaged.
Investigators say the suspect told them that he was beaten by four men and he took the ambulance to drive himself to a hospital.
Credit did have a puncture wound on his head and was taken to Tampa General Hospital where he was treated and released into police custody.
