Well this sounds pretty meth-y. A Sonoma County man who had asked police to get him an ambulance because he was having a panic attack allegedly ended up stealing that ambulance and taking it for a crazed trip through Santa Rosa.
The incident unfolded Wednesday evening outside Russian River Brewing Company's Santa Rosa taproom, at 725 Fourth Street, beginning at 7:53 pm. Police were called to the scene by a Russian River Brewing employee, due to a man who appeared to be in "an altered state," according to police.
When police arrived they spoke to the subject, identified as 36-year-old Sonoma resident Jorge Sanchez Rodriguez, and he said he was suffering a panic attack. Officers offered to drive Rodriguez to the hospital, but he said he wanted to go in an ambulance.
Soon, a Sonoma County Fire District ambulance arrived and EMTs evaluated Rodriguez's condition.
"An ambulance member was talking with Rodriguez outside of the ambulance, while the other ambulance member was inside preparing to transport Rodriguez to the hospital," the Santa Rosa PD says in a release.
"Rodriguez started to walk away from the ambulance member, and then suddenly ran to the driver’s side of the ambulance and got into the driver’s seat. He then drove west on 4th Street with the second ambulance member trapped in the rear of the ambulance," police say.
Officers proceeded to chase Rodriguez around the city, and a spike strip was deployed after Rodriguez circled back onto Fourth Street. The spikes only disabled the driver's side tires, and Rodriguez continued to drive the ambulance toward Sonoma Highway.
Another set of spike strips was deployed on Montgomery Drive, which deflated the remaining tires on the vehicle, but Rodriguez allegedly still continued on, driving on rims, until he reached Memorial Hospital.
The photo below, shared by Santa Rosa police, shows the ambulance with its tires blown out.
At that point, police say, "Rodriguez immediately exited the ambulance and laid face down on the ground with his hands out." He was then taken into custody without incident, and the trapped EMT was uninjured.
Still, Rodriguez had not calmed down, and after he was placed into the back of a patrol car, police say that he "then began hitting his head against the security screen and kicking at the window."
He was then removed from the patrol car and strapped to a gurney, and it's unclear if he ever ended up being taken to the hospital.
Rodriguez was booked on suspicion of vehicle theft, reckless evading, kidnapping, resisting arrest, and being under the influence of a controlled substance. He reportedly remains at the Sonoma County Main Adult Detention Center.
