“Comments on social media, 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.”
According to Meridian police, the incident began just after 11 pm Wednesday, when an ambulance was stolen from a bay at St. Luke’s West Hospital. Officials said the suspect drove the ambulance through the parking lot, then retrieved gas cans that had been staged in nearby bushes. The suspect then drove into the North Portico building, which houses DHS offices.
Fox News reported that law enforcement officials believe the suspect poured an accelerant inside the ambulance and around the exterior in an attempt to set the vehicle and building on fire. However, the suspect’s plans were interrupted when multiple law enforcement agencies arrived on the scene, scaring the suspect off before the accelerant could be ignited.
“We want to emphasize that this was a serious criminal act,” Meridian Police Chief Tracy Basterrechea said during a press conference. “The theft and destruction of an emergency vehicle not only created a risk to responding personnel, but it also temporarily removed a critical medical resource from the community.”
Basterrechea added, “There has been a lot of rhetoric surrounding the Department of Homeland Security leasing office space at this location.” He continued, “Comments on social media, 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 suspect is still at large. The Meridian Police Department is leading the investigation in coordination with the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), DHS, Idaho State Police, and other law enforcement agencies.
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