Man stole ambulance from fatal stabbing scene, sparking chase that ended in Alhambra crash: Police

DOWNEY, Calif. (KABC) -- A joyride in an ambulance ended with a high-speed wreck and a truck flipped on its side, and it all started with a deadly stabbing in another city.

Minutes before the Downey City Library opened on Saturday morning, an argument steps from the front door turned deadly.

"The gentlemen were arguing right outside here. One guy pulled out a knife -- the guy that had the flannel -- and started just stabbing the other gentleman. The gentleman fell down, and once the gentleman fell down, he went for one more strike to the neck, and that's where the blood... you know, that happened," said witness Abraham Mancilla.

Downey police say the attack happened around 9:30 a.m. While first responders were at the scene quickly, the victim did not survive.

Police say the suspect, a 23-year-old homeless man, took off running, but was later caught a few hundred yards away at Downey High School, which is on the back side of the library.

Downey police towed a Tesla and a motorcycle away from the stabbing scene. Witnesses believe the vehicles belong to the victim in the homicide, and they also have reason to believe the murder was captured on camera.

The fatal stabbing happened right next to the EV charging stations outside of the Downey City Library. The owner of a Tesla parked outside at the time told Eyewitness News that investigators reviewed video from his car, which he believes shows the entire attack.

Neighbors say the parking lot is always busy, and the stabbing happened right as half a dozen people were charging their cars.

As first responders tried to save the victim, another man, completely unrelated to the attack, stole the Downey Fire Department ambulance that was parked at the scene of the crime. He then sped out of the parking lot, which happens to be shared by City Hall and Downey police.

"It ended up just kind of swerving, and it had about 12 cop cars behind it. By the time I got here to meet the kids, luckily, they weren't here yet. The scene was there, I mean, just blood everywhere," Mancilla said.

After a 10-mile chase, the suspect in the stolen ambulance crashed into several parked cars in a neighborhood in Alhambra.

Video from the scene shows a parked vehicle on its side and front-end damage to the stolen ambulance. No injuries were reported in the crash, Downey police said.

It was a bizarre and confusing sight for witnesses in the neighborhood.

"I did not know it was a car chase before, but I thought it was very odd," Alan Kwong said.

The suspect accused of stealing the ambulance -- a 52-year-old man -- was arrested without incident, according to police.

Neighbors say he didn't go quietly.

"When I came back, he was still screaming. He's still screaming in the car, in the police SUV, right now, even right now," Kwong said.

At this point, no names of anyone involved have been released, and police have not released any information about the murder victim or a potential motive in the case.