Idaho police are scouring a quiet Boise suburb for the maniac who allegedly stole an ambulance, plowed it into Department of Homeland Security offices, and then tried to set it ablaze Wednesday night.
The suspect snagged the ambulance that was parked outside St. Luke’s hospital in Meridian, a small suburb just west of Boise, before speeding off through a parking lot and straight toward The Portico, a neighboring building owned by the St. Luke’s Health System, Meridian police said.
The nut then rammed the ambulance through a pair of glass doors at the entrance to the office building, beore exiting the still-running vehicle in the middle of the lobby, startling photos of the late-night attack showed.
Idaho authorities are looking for a suspect who allegedly stole an ambulance from St. Luke’s hospital and later crashed into an office building that houses U.S. Department of Homeland Security offices. Idaho News 6Apparently unscathed from the crash, the suspect retrieved gas cans planted in nearby bushes and doused the ambulance with an unidentified substance.
“It appears the suspect was unable to ignite the accelerant before being scared off by responding agencies,” Meridian Police Chief Tracy Basterrechea said at a press conference Thursday.
Police have not provided a description of the suspect’s appearance.
Besides housing DHS offices, SelectHealth Inc., St. Luke’s Home Health and Hospice, and Quest Diagnostics are listed as tenants in the St. Luke’s-owned Portico building.
The hospital faced fierce backlash for leasing space to DHS while the Trump administration continues its unrelenting immigration enforcement crackdown.
Meridian Police Chief Tracy Basterrechea said a substance was poured in the interior and exterior of the ambulance, but it couldn’t be identified.
Basterrechea also said, “the suspect was unable to ignite the accelerant before being scared off by responding agencies.” Idaho News 6“There has been a lot of rhetoric” over the lease, Basterrechea said, including threats of violence — asserting that social media comments such as “property damage isn’t violence’ is absolutely false.”
“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,” the chief added.
The Meridian Police Department will lead the investigation in tandem with the FBI and DHS, he said.
The Boise-area has also had its backers of DHS’ push to rid the region of illegal migrants.
In November, a bar in Eagle, Idaho — just 8 miles from Meridian — announced it would be offering “FREE BEER FOR ONE MONTH” to “anyone who helps ICE identify and ultimately deport an illegal from Idaho.”
DHS reposted the watering hole’s promo with a gif highlighting their approval. The bar enthusiastically replied, “Let’s go! Deport them all!”
That same month, a girl, 8, was mowed down by an illegal immigrant while she was crossing the street in Boise.
