A driver was shot and killed by a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper on Thursday after a chaotic pursuit in a stolen ambulance that ended on an Austin highway. Authorities described a dangerous sequence of events in which the driver rammed multiple vehicles before a trooper opened fire, and the case is now the subject of an active investigation.
According to the DPS, the incident began at approximately 6:30 a.m., when troopers were notified of a stolen Fort Worth Fire EMS ambulance traveling southbound on Interstate 35 in Williamson County. The stolen emergency vehicle set off a response that would stretch across the busy corridor and into Austin.
DPS troopers located the ambulance and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. The driver, however, refused to stop and began actively evading law enforcement, continuing southbound on the interstate as officers tried to bring the vehicle under control.
As the ambulance continued southbound around the US 290 area in Austin, the situation grew more dangerous. According to the DPS, the driver began intentionally ramming multiple civilian vehicles, turning the stolen ambulance into a threat to other motorists on the roadway.
Troopers attempted to stop the ambulance using a PIT maneuver, but those attempts were unsuccessful. The ambulance continued to ram vehicles as it began to travel onto the upper deck of Interstate 35, escalating the risk on one of the region's most heavily used routes.
It was at that point that a DPS trooper discharged their duty firearm, striking the suspect. The suspect was pronounced deceased at the scene. Authorities said the suspect's identity is not being released at this time as the investigation proceeds.
Texas Rangers are on scene and are actively investigating the officer involved shooting, which the DPS described as an active and ongoing investigation with preliminary information that may change. The upper deck of Interstate 35 southbound will remain closed until the investigation is complete, and officials urged motorists to seek alternate routes.