CHICAGO — A former prominent attorney was charged after police said he stole an ambulance in Chinatown and led police on a chase all the way near Dwight.
Benjamin Herrington, 46, was charged with fleeing to elude a peace officer, resisting and obstructing a peace officer and possession of a stolen motor vehicle.
Around 4:40 p.m. Monday, police said a Chicago Fire Department ambulance was stolen by an man in the 200 block of West Cermak Road. Police said the ambulance was parked on the street and there was no patient inside.
SkyCam9 observed the stolen ambulance driving on the outbound Stevenson at speeds up to 80 miles per hour. At around 5:55 p.m., the left rear wheel was blown out.
Herrington was taken into custody near mile marker 217 around 6:30 p.m. One lane of southbound I-55 was closed for hours as police wrapped up the investigation.
WGN News independently obtained footage from a city pod camera that shows the moment the ambulance was stolen. Herrington’s mother, Nicky, said her son told her the ambulance was left unlocked with the keys in it.
Once on the road, Nicky said Herrington called her and said he was scared and trying to drive to St. Louis to get her. She said that he told her he needed help with an addiction problem and needed mental help treatment.
Herrington was once a prominent attorney who practiced for several years in the Chicago area after getting his law degree in 2003, his mother said. He lost his job in December and became homeless while suffering from mental illness and drug addiction the last few years, Nicky said.
Herrington was taken to a hospital for a dog bite to the leg and was transported to the Grundy County Jail awaiting transfer to Cook County.
The incident is under investigation.
