TAMPA, Fla. — A Florida man admitted to drinking six beers before stealing a fire truck and taking it for a joyride in Tampa on Tuesday, according to court records.
TPD said Warren Scudder, 59, allegedly stole the fire engine around 9:25 a.m. while firefighters were inside St. Joseph's hospital. Hillsborough County Court documents said the fire truck's estimated value is $1 million.
Scudder drove off and crashed into a Lexus SUV near Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard and MacDill Avenue. He continued driving in the fire engine for about a mile and a half down MLK before he was surrounded by officers at the 4100 block of Poplar Avenue, TPD said.
Scudder admitted to detectives he consumed six beers before entering the unlocked fire truck and starting it with the button, according to his arrest affidavit.
Scudder was arrested and charged with grand theft auto and hit & run, TPD said. Scudder has a criminal history, including a false report of a bomb in 2020 in Pinellas County. He had been convicted of his 4th DUI offense on July 3, 2001, according to court records.
The driver of the Lexus SUV was evaluated by hospital staff for hip pain.
"I was 100% sure it was them."
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