Man charged after stealing ambulance, crashing into Publix on Hilton Head, police say
A Hilton Head man is accused of stealing an ambulance, fleeing from police and crashing into Publix on the south end of the island, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
Carlos Colon, 20, of Hilton Head Island was charged on Friday with one count of grand larceny, one count of failure to stop for blue lights, and one count of petit larceny, a Sheriff’s Office news release said.
The Sheriff’s Office said Colon stole a Hilton Head Fire Rescue ambulance while wearing a Fire Rescue uniform around 1 p.m. on Friday.
A half an hour later, deputies were on the lookout for the stolen ambulance when they saw him driving it near Shelter Cove on U.S. 278, the news release said.
Deputies pursued Colon, who was speeding, according to Maj. Bob Bromage with the Sheriff’s Office.
The pursuit wound through side streets and onto the parking lot of Publix off Palmetto Bay Road near Sea Pines. Colon crashed into the Publix building.
There were no injuries. There was minor damage to the ambulance and the supermarket, the news release said.
Fire Marshal Joheida Fister, a spokesperson for Hilton Head Fire Rescue, said the Hilton Head man went into the garage area, called “the bay,” of the fire station on Cordillo Parkway near Shipyard Plantation.
He took a Fire Rescue uniform, which had been hanging there. Fire Rescue responders usually take off their on-duty uniforms, opting for a T-shirt while at the station. They leave the uniforms hanging for quick access when heading out on calls, Fister said.
The keys had been left in the ambulance, she said.
“We’re going to go back to review all of our security measures to make sure stuff like this doesn’t happen,” Fister said.
The ambulance had minor scratches and was back in service later in the afternoon, she said.
Colon had not been transported to the Beaufort County Detention Center as of around 3:15 p.m., according to Bromage.
Grand larceny is a felony charge, while failure to stop for blue lights and petit larceny are misdemeanors.
This story was originally published October 1, 2021 at 3:21 PM.
