Police shoot suspect as stolen ambulance crashes into bystanders in Oslo

The suspect was shot by police and is now in hospital in a stable condition.

October 22, 2019, 10:23 AM

LONDON -- A man who stole an ambulance and crashed into bystanders has been shot by police in the Norwegian capital of Oslo, police said Tuesday.

At least two people were injured as the stolen ambulance drove into a crowd of people that included an elderly couple and a woman with a baby.

Officers fired shots at the vehicle to stop the suspected driver who has now been taken to hospital due to injuries sustained in the incident.

"We are in control of the ambulance that was stolen," Oslo police tweeted. "Shots were fired to stop him. He is not in critical condition."

The woman and the child were taken to be treated at a local hospital.

PHOTO: Police detain a man, bottom center laying on the ground, next to a damaged ambulance that he stole after an incident in the center of Oslo, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019. (Cathrine Hellesoy, Aftenposten via AP)
PHOTO: Police detain a man, bottom center laying on the ground, next to a damaged ambulance that he stole after an incident in the center of Oslo, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019. (Cathrine Hellesoy, Aftenposten via AP)
Cathrine Hellesoy/AP

An investigation into what happened is ongoing with the authorities now in the process of questioning witnesses and securing footage from the incident.

“We do not yet have information that the incident is terror-related, but we are investigating widely and with great strength,” the police force said.

The ambulance was stolen in the neighborhood of Rosenhoff in Oslo at around 12:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday afternoon.

An eyewitness who claimed to have seen the incident was quoted by local media saying the incident began with a traffic accident. A man allegedly got out of a crashed car, according to the witness, and then entered the stolen ambulance before it was later shot by police.

The authorities are also searching for another woman who they believe was involved in the initial traffic accident and is suspected to be connected with the theft of the ambulance. The female suspect was described as “looking intoxicated,” police said.