A male patient of the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) was injured after being shot by police when he drove an ambulance on Sunday.
According to Davao police, the driver left the ambulance of the local government of Bansalan, Davao del Sur, to help discharge the patient to the emergency room.
The suspect – a 31-year-old who is said to be “mentally challenged” – suddenly entered the vehicle and drove it away from the hospital.
The ambulance reached the border checkpoint of the Task Force (TF) Davao in Barangay Lasang and almost hit the law enforcer who went to the vehicle to inspect.
The TF Davao soldier shot the wheel of the ambulance, but the bullet also hit the man driving.
The man was caught on the national highway in Panabo City, Davao del Norte. He was rushed back by SPMC and is in good condition.
According to the patient’s partner, the man who swept the ambulance was a jeepney driver who was “mentally challenged.”
According to police, the man was discharged from Davao Mental Hospital on August 9 and transferred to SPMC.
‘Mentally challenged’ patient steals ambulance in Davao City
Police are still figuring out what to do with the suspect, who is being monitored by police while recovering at the SPMC.
Meanwhile, Davao de Oro and Davao Oriental recorded the first cases of the Delta variant on Sunday, according to a report by the regional Department of Health.
A 41-year-old man returning as an overseas Filipino worker from Cairo, Egypt, and a resident of Nabunturan town was recorded in Davao de Oro.
He tested positive for COVID-19 on July 24 and is in Manila undergoing quarantine.
In Davao Oriental, a 33-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman from Mati City were reported to have tested positive for COVID-19 on July 10 and have recovered from the disease.
In total, the Davao region has 13 Delta variant cases. There are 807 Delta variant cases throughout the Philippines, according to the DOH.
According to the DOH-Davao, there were 571 new COVID-19 cases in the region this Sunday. Therefore, the total number of cases in the region has reached 59,994, of which 8,079 are active cases.
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