By Tony Marrero
Tampa Bay Times
TAMPA BAY, Fla. — Tampa police on Tuesday arrested a man accused of stealing a fire engine parked outside St. Joseph’s Hospital and then crashing into an SUV while under the influence of alcohol.
Warren Scudder, 59, drove off in the Tampa Fire Rescue engine about 9:25 a.m. while firefighters were inside the hospital, according to the Tampa Police Department. Scudder then crashed into a Lexus SUV near the intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and MacDill Avenue, police said.
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Police caught up to Scudder in the 4100 block of Poplar Avenue about 15 minutes later, blocked the engine’s path and arrested him.
Scudder was booked into Hillsborough’s Orient Road Jail on charges of burglary of an unoccupied conveyance, grand theft of emergency medical equipment, grand theft auto, leaving the scene of a crash with injury, driving under the influence (fourth or subsequent violation) and DUI with property damage. He was being held Tuesday without bond.
According to booking records, Scudder’s blood alcohol results came back at 0.197 and 0.177. Both results are more than twice the 0.08 at which a driver is presumed impaired under Florida law.
The driver of the Lexus complained of hip pain and was being evaluated by hospital staff.
A separate news release issued later by Tampa Fire Rescue said that the crew members on the engine had responded to a cardiac-related emergency, and the driver pulled into a designated parking area at the hospital and remained near the truck while other personnel went into the hospital to assist with the patient.
“Due to the severity of the medical emergency, the process required an extended period of time,” the release said. “The driver briefly stepped away from the vehicle to determine if additional assistance was needed. During that brief moment, the suspect entered the unattended fire engine and drove it off hospital property.”
The passenger side of the engine scraped the driver side of the Lexus, causing moderate damage to the SUV, according to a fire rescue spokesperson. A photo released by the fire rescue department shows what appears to be minor damage to the engine.
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