Judge David Law, of the 52-1 District Court in Novi, listens as attorney Joseph Xuereb addresses the court in defense of alleged ambulance hijacker Changlin Li, of Novi, who is looking on in the background.
By: Charity Meier | Novi Note | Published April 18, 2026
Changlin Li, of Novi, the man who faces charges for allegedly hijacking an ambulance last October, may soon be deemed competent to stand trial, according to his attorney, Joseph Xuereb.
Li, who was found to be incompetent but restorable during a Jan. 14 hearing, appeared to be much more coherent during his probable cause hearing on April 15 at the 52-1 District Court in Novi. Although he did not say much, he gave clear and precise answers to Judge David Law’s questions regarding his name and understanding of the court situation and the availability of the Mandarin Chinese language interpreter who was present in the courtroom for Li’s benefit.
During the hearing, Xuereb requested that the matter be adjourned for six weeks to allow time to obtain the results of court-ordered forensic testing evaluations for competency and criminal responsibility, which had been conducted on April 14.
“So, they did the evaluation for competency yesterday. We are fairly confident that he will be deemed competent, and they indicated that the criminal responsibility evaluation would take another four weeks,” Xuereb said.
Li is accused of taking an ambulance for a joyride Oct. 24 following a four-vehicle crash at 10 Mile and Novi roads. He allegedly exited his vehicle and climbed into the driver's seat of a Medstar ambulance, which had responded to the crash. He then took off with an EMT and a patient in the back of the vehicle, according to police. Li allegedly then led police on a 4-mile chase from the accident scene at 10 Mile and Novi Road through the city. The ambulance pursuit ended after he allegedly ran a red light and crashed into another vehicle at Eight Mile and Beck roads. Li was apprehended after a short foot chase, police said.
Since the incident, Li has been housed at the Oakland County Jail, where he has been undergoing psychiatric treatment. He was supposed to be treated at the Center for Forensic Psychiatry, but the center has not had room for a new patient.
Xuereb said that he feels confident that Li will be deemed competent because both he and his client have noticed a difference in his mental status since the psychiatrist at the jail changed his medications.
“He noticed a difference, and I noticed a difference because I communicated through the Smart Communications system at the jail with him, and I noticed a big difference, because the standard for the competency is really ‘can you assist your counsel,’ and I felt like he was very much helpful to me, and I was able to communicate with him,” Xuereb said. “So, we asked the court to order that new evaluation. … So, I’m optimistic based on what I’ve seen from my client, as well as the indications that I got from my client from the interview, we’re optimistic that he'll be deemed competent.”
Xuereb said that having Li deemed competent will be a good thing for the defense, as he can assist his counsel, and the case, which has been at a standstill, can move forward.
He said that they also feel that Li will not be held criminally liable for his actions.
“They are doing the evaluation for criminal responsibility again, and we’re confident that he will not be deemed responsible for his actions on that day because of his mental condition at that time,” Xuereb said.
According to Xuereb, Li suffered from bipolar disorder and was manic at the time of the incident. He said that Li’s friends, who live in Toronto, were very concerned about him because of things he was saying in their group chat, as well as during phone calls prior to the incident.
“One of them did a wellness check, and the police came to my client’s house at 1:15 p.m., and then this incident happened, I think around 3:30. Two hours after. So, yeah, he was not well for a couple days preceding this,” Xuereb said.
“Clearly, based on a man 33 years old, master’s degree, working, gainfully employed as an engineer, never any criminal trouble at all, to steal an ambulance is kind of wacky,” Xuereb said. “I think it kind of speaks for itself, really.”
Law ordered that the case will be reconvened on May 27 for a forensic review and competency hearing.