MERIDIAN, IDAHO — A police presence remains at the Portico North building near St. Luke’s Meridian Medical Center after a Canyon County Paramedics ambulance crashed into the building at approximately 11:10 p.m. on Wednesday.
Meridian Police say the suspect involved was wearing a black top, tan pants, and a medical-style face mask.
Meridian Neighborhood Reporter Allie Triepke provides an update on the ongoing investigation and the suspect's description
Meridian Police, Ada County Sheriff's Office, Boise Police, and Meridian Fire responded to the crash, and no injuries were reported. The building sustained significant damage and remains closed.
Meridian Police confirmed that the ambulance, which had been parked in front of the St. Luke's Meridian Medical Center, was stolen by the suspect before being driven into the Portico North building.
RELATED | DHS leasing office space at St. Luke's Portico North building, spokesperson confirms
Officials say the ambulance belonged to Canyon County Paramedics, and no other individuals were inside the ambulance at the time of the incident.
During a press conference on Thursday at 12 p.m., Meridian Police Chief Tracy Basterrechea said that the suspect tried to burn down the building using an "accelerant" but was unable to ignite the fire.
"Preliminary investigation indicates the suspect drove the ambulance north through the parking lot and retrieved gas cans that had been staged in nearby vegetation." - Tracy Basterrechea, Meridian Police Chief
Instead, it appears as though the suspect fled as officers arrived on the scene.
WATCH: Meridian PD hold press conference to discuss stolen ambulance and crash at the Portico North building
"We want to emphasize that this was a serious criminal act. The theft and destruction of an emergency vehicle not only created risk to responding personnel, but it also temporarily removed a critical medical resource from the community," said Chief Basterrechea. "There has been a lot of rhetoric surrounding the Department of Homeland Security leasing office space at this location, and comments on social media, such as 'property damage isn't violent', [that] is absolutely false. This was absolutely an act of violence."
Meridian Police also stated that the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Idaho State Police, and other local agencies are assisting in the investigation into the incident.
The Canyon County Paramedics Chief Michael Stowell said they are "cooperating fully with responding agencies and extend our gratitude to the Meridian Police Department and other partners for their support in this situation."
Viewer video shared with Idaho News 6 captured the large police response around 11:15 p.m. Wednesday night. Police say the entire building was searched overnight, but the suspect was not found inside and has not yet been located.
St. Luke’s tells Idaho News 6 that it is operating as usual for emergency care and appointments, though additional security screenings are in place.
Police and St. Luke’s security have coordinated communication with employees in the affected buildings regarding reporting instructions for the day.
As we've previously reported, the offices at Portico North have been leased out to the Department of Homeland Security, which has been met by swift protest from local advocacy groups. It is not yet known whether this incident is connected.
WATCH: Idaho News 6 Senior Reporter Roland Beres discusses the crash at the Portico North building in Meridian
If you have any information regarding the incident, please reach out to Meridian Police at 208-895-3362.
