It might be a long walk, but that’s still a terrible excuse to steal a car. A man accused of stealing a taxi after he was discharged from a Des Moines hospital says he didn’t want to walk home.
Des Moines police say 26-year-old Luis Orellana-Rivera drove off with the vehicle shortly after he was released from Mercy Medical Center around 6 a.m. on Friday. The unoccupied taxi had the key in the ignition at the time.
Orellana-Rivera was spotted about a half hour later. Police say he had the key to the taxi in his pocket at the time of his arrest.
Des Moines television station KCCI reports Orellana-Rivera told police he stole the vehicle because he didn’t want to walk six blocks home.
Orellana-Rivera faces a second-degree theft charge. He remained at the county jail Sunday. Court records do not list an attorney.
The Associated Press contributed to this article