EMS vehicle stolen during law enforcement operation in Pender County
ROCKY POINT, NC (WWAY) — A suspect was detained after stealing a Pender EMS and Fire vehicle early Sunday morning during an ongoing law enforcement operation in Rocky Point, according to Pender County officials.
Around 1:45 a.m. on Sunday, the Pender County Sheriff’s Office requested drone support from Pender EMS and Fire to assist in locating a suspect, Division Chief Randy Brinckman said in a news release.
A drone pilot with Pender EMS and Fire arrived on scene and launched a drone flight within the perimeter of the search area. At approximately 2:15 a.m., while crews were on scene, a suspect, identified in arrest warrants as David Alvarez, 19, got inside an unoccupied Pender EMS and Fire vehicle and drove away.
The vehicle crashed into a tree a short distance from the scene. Warrants state Alvarez tried to run after getting out of the stolen vehicle.
Alvarez is also accused of spitting on an ambulance attendant and also ‘knowingly and willfully emit a bodily fluid’ at a deputy.
The Pender County Sheriff’s Office and North Carolina State Highway Patrol are investigating.
Alvarez is charged with Larceny of a Motor Vehicle, Malicious Conduct by Prisoner, Possess Stolen Motor Vehicle, Assault on Emergency Personnel, Resisting Public Officer, and two counts of Injury to Personal Property.
