No bond for man accused of stealing ambulance

DECATUR, Ga. — A DeKalb judge has denied bond for a man accused of stealing an ambulance with two paramedics inside.

Police have charged 36-year-old Frank Ponquinette with two counts of kidnapping and interference with government property.

Police said he took an ambulance from Emory Hospital Saturday afternoon while the employees, one male and one female, were restocking the back and filling out paperwork. He drove nearly three miles before crashing it into Decatur’s Sandy Chiropractic, destroying the building.

Sandy Chiropractic owner Loretta Sandy didn't want to talk on camera, but told Channel 2’s Liz Artz she shed a lot of tears when she first arrived to her business. Her assistant, she said, sat right where the ambulance came to rest. She had closed for the day just an hour before the accident.

Police said Ponquinette might suffer from mental disabilities. He took out a power pole and left a path of destruction before smashing into the business. The paramedics suffered minor injuries.

One witness said she saw the suspect right after the crash. She described him as stunned, but otherwise uninjured.

Police said Ponquinette fled in a hospital gown similar to one found at the scene. Channel 2 Action News was there when detectives collected it Saturday night.

The two paramedics asked not to be identified. Ponquinette was captured a short time later at a shopping complex only feet from the crash.

WSBTV