Police: Man Steals EMS Vehicle Outside PPG Paints Arena, Crashes Into SUV
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A man was arrested early Sunday morning after he allegedly stole an EMS vehicle outside PPG Paints Arena and crashed into another vehicle.
According to a criminal complaint, a City of Pittsburgh medic arrived outside of PPG Paints Arena around 11:50 p.m. Saturday for a report of an emergency inside the arena.
The medic says she locked her vehicle and entered the arena. As she was going inside, she noticed a white male standing on the sidewalk near where she parked. He was wearing jeans, but no shirt, and had tattoos.
When the medic came back outside a few minutes later, her vehicle was gone.
The criminal complaint says a police officer spoke to a woman at the scene who had been looking out her hotel room window and saw a white male matching the medic's description acting suspiciously around the EMS vehicle. The woman started to film him on her phone.
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The witness's video shows the male walking around the vehicle, then walking to the driver's side, opening the door, getting in and driving away.
A police officer was able to follow the vehicle's location through its GPS tracking system. The vehicle eventually stopped at an intersection in Forest Hills.
When officers arrived at the intersection, they found that the EMS vehicle had apparently crashed into an SUV, pushing that SUV into a building.
The man sitting in the driver's seat of the EMS vehicle matched the description of the man who had been standing on the sidewalk outside PPG Paints Arena. The medic later arrived on the scene and confirmed it was the same man.
The suspect was later identified as Matthew King.
King was taken into custody just after midnight. According to police, he was wobbling and swaying while standing, had glassy eyes and smelled like alcohol.
He was transported to Allegheny General Hospital to be checked out. It was determined he suffered a broken collarbone. He was then transported to the Allegheny County Jail.
The two people who were in the SUV King crashed into were taken to the hospital with unknown injuries. They were last reported to be in stable condition.
Ross Guidotti's Report:
King is facing multiple charges, including theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, DUI and recklessly endangering another person.
