A St John ambulance was allegedly stolen while crew were helping a patient in Dunedin last night.
St John Southland District Operations Manager Pauline Buchanan said in a statement it was "reprehensible that while our ambulance officers were providing essential clinical care to a patient someone would steal their ambulance".
"There was complete disregard for the consequences of their actions and for the patient they were caring for."
Police told 1 NEWS a 30-year-old man is appearing in Dunedin District Court today charged with failing to stop, unlicensed driver, dangerous driving and unlawful taking.
"GPS was used to track the ambulance, which police stopped in Waihola, using road spikes. The ambulance did not crash and no one was hurt," the police spokesperson said.
Ms Buchanan said it was "fortunate that the patient was able to be treated at the scene and did not require transportation and there were no further calls for ambulance assistance during this time as this could have potentially impacted one of our patients".
She said the ambulance had sustained "considerable damage", meaning it would be out of action while it was being repaired.
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