A late-night medical emergency in Ruskin turned chaotic when a local man allegedly attacked an ambulance trying to transport a patient to the hospital. Johnny Arman, 35, now faces severe felony charges following the June 25 incident that left a rescue vehicle wrecked and local utility infrastructure heavily damaged.

Incident Details

The situation began around 10:50 p.m. when Hillsborough County Fire Rescue crews arrived at a home to treat a female patient. Arman quickly became hostile toward the first responders on the scene, disrupting the medical care being given to the patient.

When the ambulance finally managed to leave the property and head toward the hospital, Arman got into his own vehicle and followed it. Deputies say that while traveling on Upper Creek Drive near Galen Court, Arman used his car to cut off and block the ambulance before accelerating straight at it.

The ambulance driver tried to steer clear of the oncoming vehicle, but Arman struck the rescue unit, forcing it completely off the roadway. The out-of-control ambulance then crashed into a utility pole and multiple utility boxes.

Two paramedics and the female patient were trapped inside the vehicle during the violent collision. The impact knocked out local utility lines and infrastructure, racking up more than $100,000 in damages.

Response and Charges

Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister released a statement regarding the attack, condemning the danger it posed to everyone involved. Arman has been charged with two counts of aggravated battery on a firefighter with a deadly weapon, one count of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, two counts of unlawfully impeding, threatening, or harassing a first responder, criminal mischief of $1,000 or more, and burglary of an authorized emergency vehicle.

Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.