A responding Clearwater Fire & Rescue ambulance had to come to a sudden stop Friday morning after a large piece of concrete slammed through its windshield.
City officials told WTVT that the incident that occurred around 7:20 a.m. in the 2300 block of Gulf to Bay Boulevard involving an ambulance from Station 49 was no accident.
"We're not talking about a pebble here, we're talking about a large chunk of concrete," city spokeswoman Elizabeth Watts told the news station, adding that the crew saw a man walking toward them. "They noticed him; they thought maybe he was doing something a little suspicious. (He was) kind of skipping before he was getting ready to throw."
The unit was responding to a medical call for a person having trouble breathing with its lights and sirens blaring when it was hit.
The glass shattered from the windshield throughout the cabin, covering both the driver and the passenger, but luckily no one was seriously hurt.
The crew tried to track down the man, but he got away.
Another unit was able to reach the person who had trouble breathing, and there was no delay in response.
"What if there wasn't another unit that was close enough to get there in time? But also, our personnel and their safety," Watts said. "They're out there trying to do their jobs, trying to help people, trying to save lives."
Throwing an object at an ambulance is considered a felony and authorities are currently searching for the suspect.
