By Harriet Ramos
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
FORT WORTH, Texas — A suspect who rammed multiple vehicles in a stolen Fort Worth Fire Department ambulance on Interstate 35 in Austin early Thursday was fatally shot by a Texas DPS trooper, officials said.
The ambulance was stolen Wednesday night from Station 4, located at 2954 Old Mansfield Road, Fort Worth Fire Department spokesperson Craig Trojacek said in a statement.
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“This is a developing story with multiple agencies involved,” the statement reads.
According to Department of Public Safety spokesperson Sgt. Jason Galaviz, DPS was notified about 6:30 a.m. that the ambulance was in Williamson County and headed south on I-35.
“When troopers activated their emergency lights, the driver refused to stop and began actively evading law enforcement,” Galaviz said at a news conference Thursday.
According to Galaviz, the suspect began intentionally ramming civilian vehicles. The troopers attempted a PIT maneuver to stop the ambulance, but were unsuccessful.
The stolen ambulance continued ramming into vehicles as it headed onto the upper deck of I-35. Galaviz said a DPS trooper then fired his service weapon at the suspect, who died at the scene.
Authorities have not publicly identified the suspect. Texas Rangers are investigating the officer-involved shooting, Galaviz said. DPS will release more details as they become available.
All southbound lanes of I-35 were closed Thursday morning near central Austin due to the “police activity,” according to Texas Department of Transportation officials.
Photos taken by KXAN-TV show the stolen Fort Worth EMS ambulance on an interstate bridge. The front of the vehicle has been damaged.
Fort Worth police said the investigation into the theft of the ambulance is ongoing.
Austin police said in a social media post about 7:40 a.m. that the upper deck of I-35 was expected to be closed for several hours, which included a large portion of the freeway from U.S. 183 into the downtown area.
About 1:45 p.m., police said that lanes are open for drivers to access the lower deck of I-35 from U.S. 183, but the upper deck remains closed.
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