Story By: Anastasia Smirnova, Sub-Editor:  Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News 

Video Credit: CEN/@mvd.russia

This is the moment pursuing police officers shoot the tyres of an ambulance that was stolen by two criminals who had been convicted of a similar offence in the past.

The incident took place in the village of Bolshoye Murashkino near the city of Nizhny Novgorod in the western Russian region of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast after the suspects stole an unattended ambulance.

Reports said that the ambulance was initially pursued by one patrol car, but was soon joined by at least one other.

Cops repeatedly told the ambulance driver to pull over to the roadside, but the suspects refused.

Meanwhile, the situation posed a risk to other road users as the ambulance continually swerved across the road, sometimes ending up on the other side of the road, while being chased.

As a result, the police reportedly fired warning shots in the air to make the convicts stop.

After the pair refused to cooperate, the police shot the vehicle’s tyre with a single bullet, according to local media.

When the ambulance eventually stopped, both men ran into a roadside forest but were quickly caught by pursuing cops.

Local media said that both men had been sentenced for a very similar case several years ago but did not report any further information.

It is unclear why they stole the unattended ambulance and the current investigation is ongoing.

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