BATON ROUGE - A man being taken to a hospital in St. Charles hijacked the ambulance Friday morning and led state police on a high-speed chase to Baton Rouge.

The St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office first responded to reports of a stolen vehicle at Ochsner Hospital just before 3 a.m.

Deputies learned the suspect, Jeremy McCurley, was being transported to Ochsner early Friday. When Acadian Ambulance EMS personnel prepared to unload him, McCurley allegedly jumped into the driver's seat and drove away.

Other responding deputies spotted the stolen ambulance at the intersection of U.S. Highway 90 and I-310. When they tried to pull McCurley over, he reportedly continued onto the interstate.

The sheriff's office said deputies didn't pursue McCurley onto the interstate, fearing his erratic behavior might endanger other drivers. 

State troopers were able to stop McCurley on I-10 west in Baton Rouge between Acadian and Perkins around 4 a.m. using a "tire deflation device," but the ambulance struck a State Police unit in the process. Another trooper then rammed the vehicle to bring it to a stop.

McCurley tried to flee on foot, and jumping off the Perkins Road overpass in the process. Police said McCurley was taken to a hospital and treated for injuries sustained in the fall.

The crash shut down the interstate and caused hours of delays Friday morning, but all lanes were reopened around 7:30 a.m. 

Troopers tell WBRZ McCurley will be booked with charges including theft and possession of a stolen motor vehicle, aggravated flight from officers, and numerous traffic violations.