A Central Valley man caused a scary situation over the weekend in Tuolumne County.
At around 7:40pm on Saturday evening a man driving a Toyota Pickup truck stormed by an ambulance on Highway 108/120, a few miles west of O’Byrnes Ferry Road. Sgt. Scott Johnson of the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office says the truck was going eastbound, at about 100 mph, and nearly hit the EMS vehicle. The ambulance, which was not currently in emergency mode, continued on, and a few miles later came upon the truck parked on the side of Highway 108/120. It was in the area near Rosalinda’s Gentlemen’s Club. The driver of the ambulance was then shocked to notice that the driver of the pickup was now standing in the middle of the highway wearing only his boxer shorts. The Sheriff’s Office has identified the man as 40-year John Worden of Atwater.
The paramedic stopped and turned on the lights so that Worden would not be hit by oncoming traffic. Sgt. Johnson says Worden then stepped into the back of the ambulance and “had words” with EMS officials. Worden was immediately ordered out of the vehicle.
Worden then walked back to his truck, stepped on the gas, and hit the ambulance. No one in the ambulance was hurt, but it caused damage to both vehicles. Worden then took off running into a nearby field.
The CHP and other agencies spent about an hour looking for Worden, but could not locate him. A fire truck arrived to assist with the ambulance crash. When it left at around 9pm the driver heard a big “thud” coming from the top of the fire engine. The firefighter looked up and saw Worden, and the suspect started beating on the driver’s side window.
Worden then tried to take off running again, but was captured by law enforcement. Sgt. Johnson said he had some scrapes and an injury to his head, and was taken to a Hospital in Modesto for treatment. Sgt. Johnson says it’s not known how exactly Worden got the injuries. It’s also not immediately known if drugs or alcohol played a factor in the night’s events. An investigation is ongoing.
Written by BJ Hansen.
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