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High-speed pursuit of stolen ambulance leaves 3 W.Va. deputies injured

Three police cruisers were also damaged during the 20-minute cross-state pursuit

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Three Mingo County Sheriff’s deputies were injured during a high-speed pursuit with a stolen ambulance Friday.

Photo/Mingo County Sheriff’s Office

By Laura French

MINGO COUNTY, W.Va. — A high-speed pursuit of a stolen ambulance left three W.Va. county deputies injured and three police vehicles damaged on Friday.

Mingo County deputies responded to a report of a stolen ambulance from Kentucky heading in their direction Friday morning and tracked the rig using GPS, officials told WSAZ. The suspect behind the wheel of the ambulance failed to stop as deputies followed him, ultimately leading them on a pursuit reaching speeds of up to 80 to 90 miles per hour, officials said.

Authorities said the driver sped into oncoming traffic and ran other motorists off the road during the pursuit. Deputies ultimately caught up to the rig and performed a pit maneuver 20 minutes into the pursuit. The maneuver caused the ambulance to turn sideways, and the suspect then attempted to run down cruisers as they pulled up to block him in, officials said.

The suspect, Fed Blevins, 40, was taken into custody and charged with two counts of attempted murder of a police officer, three counts of reckless disregard to the public, two counts of destruction of property and fleeing and bringing a stolen vehicle into the state. Mingo County Chief Field Deputy Allen Mounts told WSAZ that Blevins said his motive was that “he needed ‘to get out of Mingo County.’”

Mingo County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Norman Mines, Sgt. Phillip Muncy and Deputy Jeremy Casey, whose vehicles were struck as they blocked in the rig, were transported to the hospital with minor injuries. Blevins was also transported with minor injuries.

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