diff --git a/pkg/inference/scheduling/api.go b/pkg/inference/scheduling/api.go
index ebd40571d..52c8ec56d 100644
--- a/pkg/inference/scheduling/api.go
+++ b/pkg/inference/scheduling/api.go
@@ -44,6 +44,16 @@ type OpenAIInferenceRequest struct {
 	Model string `json:"model"`
 }
 
+// OpenAIErrorResponse is used to format an OpenAI API compatible error response
+// (see https://platform.openai.com/docs/api-reference/responses-streaming/error)
+type OpenAIErrorResponse struct {
+	Type           string  `json:"type"` // always "error"
+	Code           *string `json:"code"`
+	Message        string  `json:"message"`
+	Param          *string `json:"param"`
+	SequenceNumber int     `json:"sequence_number"`
+}
+
 // BackendStatus represents information about a running backend
 type BackendStatus struct {
 	// BackendName is the name of the backend
diff --git a/pkg/inference/scheduling/loader.go b/pkg/inference/scheduling/loader.go
index 536bd80ff..48c3895de 100644
--- a/pkg/inference/scheduling/loader.go
+++ b/pkg/inference/scheduling/loader.go
@@ -408,7 +408,11 @@ func (l *loader) load(ctx context.Context, backendName, model string, mode infer
 			select {
 			case <-l.slots[existing].done:
 				l.log.Warnf("%s runner for %s is defunct. Waiting for it to be evicted.", backendName, model)
-				goto WaitForChange
+				if l.references[existing] == 0 {
+					l.evictRunner(backendName, model, mode)
+				} else {
+					goto WaitForChange
+				}
 			default:
 				l.references[existing] += 1
 				l.timestamps[existing] = time.Time{}
diff --git a/pkg/inference/scheduling/runner.go b/pkg/inference/scheduling/runner.go
index 43f28e48e..15de5fec4 100644
--- a/pkg/inference/scheduling/runner.go
+++ b/pkg/inference/scheduling/runner.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package scheduling
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
@@ -143,6 +144,18 @@ func run(
 			w.WriteHeader(http.StatusInternalServerError)
 			select {
 			case <-r.done:
+				res := OpenAIErrorResponse{
+					Type:           "error",
+					Code:           nil,
+					Message:        r.err.Error(),
+					Param:          nil,
+					SequenceNumber: 1,
+				}
+				errJson, err := json.Marshal(&res)
+				if err == nil {
+					w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json; charset=utf-8")
+					w.Write(errJson)
+				}
 				return
 			case <-time.After(30 * time.Second):
 			}