A patient at a South Carolina hospital was feeling well enough to steal an ambulance from the parking lot and lead police on a chase.

The Union County Sheriff’s office was notified of the theft at the Union Medical Center around 10:50 a.m. on Friday morning. 

A deputy who was near the hospital got behind the ambulance and tried unsuccessfully to pull it over, police said.

The driver, identified later as 34-year-old Collier Bruce Simmons, of Enoree, fled and drove erratically on Highway 49 towards Lauren County. 

Police continued their pursuit into Spartanburg County.

The chase ended near Highway 221 and Parker Road — about 25 miles away from the hospital.

Simmons was taken into custody without incident.

He is charged with grand larceny, failure to stop for blue lights, driving under suspension (DUI related), habitual traffic offender, and driving left of center.

It’s not clear why he had been admitted to the hospital.