By Allison Campbell
The Wichita Eagle
WICHITA, Kan. — A man was arrested Tuesday evening after Wichita police said he attempted to break into several emergency vehicles, forced his way into an apartment where firefighters were performing CPR on a patient and then stole a Wichita Fire Department truck.
The incident began as a medical call at an apartment complex in the 3600 block of W. 13th, senior public information officer Andrew Ford said in an email to The Eagle.
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As medics were gathering their equipment to enter the apartment, Ford said, a man who was acting erratically and distracting the crew got into their vehicle.
“Because of the suspect’s behavior at the scene, Wichita Fire Department personnel initially believed he might be a relative of the patient who needed medical care,” Ford wrote.
The medics were able to get the man out of the vehicle, but as they approached the apartment, Ford said the medics saw the same man attempt to enter a supervisor’s locked EMS vehicle.
Wichita Fire Department personnel, who were already at the scene, began performing CPR on the patient. At some point while first responders were performing CPR, the man entered the apartment and began recording the fire department’s response, as well as the patient, on his phone. That’s when responders learned the man was not a relative of the person receiving CPR.
“The patient’s husband told first responders he did not know the suspect,” Ford wrote. “At that point, WFD personnel removed the suspect from the apartment immediately.”
As the patient was taken out of the building to be transported to a hospital, firefighters and paramedics saw someone driving a fire department squad truck around the building.
“Firefighters ran around the building and were able to get the truck stopped,” Ford wrote. “The suspect then jumped out of the driver’s seat and tried to run.”
When firefighters grabbed the man, Ford said, he attempted to punch them. Firefighters held the man down and dispatch put out a firefighter-in-trouble call.
Once WPD officers arrived, they were able to take the man into custody. He has been arrested on suspicion of interfering with EMS, interfering with firefighters, criminal trespass, breach of privacy, assault and auto theft. The Wichita Eagle does not name suspects until they’ve been formally charged.
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