A call was received by Hamilton County 911 at 2:09 p.m. regarding an ambulance from Memorial Healthcare being stolen from Erlanger Hospital Emergency Room parking lot. Further information was that an employee was inside the rear of the ambulance at the time it was stolen.

The driver of the Memorial Hospital ambulance stated to deputies he dropped a patient off at Erlanger’s emergency room and then pulled the ambulance out of the way due to the amount of ambulance traffic. While he was in the rear of the vehicle cleaning, someone jumped into the driver’s seat and pulled out of the lot into traffic. He yelled for the party to stop but he just accelerated faster. The victim was yelling at the party and attempting to call out on his radio reporting the theft. Although the victim was yelling for the suspect to stop, he refused at which time the victim reached thru the window and pulled on the suspect to the point he stopped the ambulance. The suspect jumped from the ambulance and ran towards the Whitehall Building. A short time later the suspect was located in a red Ford Van parked in the Whitehall garage.

The suspect identified as John Edward Shanks W/M age 29, was taken into custody by Deputies with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office and charged with the following: Auto Theft over $100,000, Kidnapping, Reckless Endangerment and Burglary of an Auto. He was transported to the Hamilton County Jail for booking. Neither bond or court date was known at the time of this release. No mug shot was found.

It was also found Mr. Shanks has outstanding warrants both in Catoosa County, Georgia and East Ridge, Tennessee.