Woman steals ambulance from Arlington Heights hospital, drives to Rantoul

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A woman stole a fire department ambulance from Northwest Community Hospital in northwest suburban Arlington Heights early Friday, Illinois State Police said. No one was in the ambulance at the time.

The ambulance was taken around 4:15 a.m. The vehicle traveled east on I-90, south on I-57 and through Kankakee County. Police estimated the ambulance's speed to be about 80 miles per hour when spotted on southbound I-57 at Halsted Street in Chicago. State police said while the woman was speeding, she was not driving erratically. However, Rantoul police say the ambulance was reportedly using the siren and running vehicles off the road when they were called.

Illinois State Police stopped pursuing the vehicle at the Ford-Champaign county line. State troopers said they monitored the ambulance on GPS. The woman was apprehended in Rantoul, in northern Champaign County. Rantoul police say they used stop sticks to get the driver to end her ride.

Samantha Sligar, 27, of Minneapolis, Minn., was taken into custody without incident, police said. Sligar was taken to the Champaign County Correctional Center and charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, police said. Sligar was a patient at Northwest Community, police and the hospital confirm.

"Due to HIPAA regulations regarding patient confidentiality, we are unable to disclose any information about the individual," a hospital statement said.