May 28--Sacramento fire crews had to deal with more than fires and medical aid over the weekend.
Saturday night, a suspected drunken driver rear-ended a firetruck, and on Sunday night police were called when firefighters responding to a fire were confronted by a man with a shotgun.
The Saturday night incident occurred about 11:42 p.m. in the 2100 block of J Street, in midtown Sacramento. According to the Police Department's daily activity log, officers were dispatched to assist Fire Department personnel in dealing with an individual who was combative.
Officers arrived to find a man, identified as David Hawley, 29, who had allegedly driven into the back of a firetruck. Police said an investigation indicated that Hawley accelerated from a red light, hit a taxi van, sideswiped another car and then slammed into the back of the firetruck, which was parked with its lights on while the crew dealt with a medical call.
Hawley reportedly got out of the car, walked up to fire personnel and began to struggle with them.
Police said the taxi driver and Hawley were injured in the collision.
Hawley was taken to a hospital, then booked into Sacramento County jail on suspicion of driving under the influence with injury, driving when his license had been suspended or revoked for DUI, being a habitual traffic offender, and hit and run with property damage. He is being held in lieu of $1 million bail.
On Sunday, police were dispatched shortly after 9 p.m. to assist firefighters who had been called to extinguish a fire in a backyard in the 1400 block of Birchwood Lane in the South Land Park area, where they were confronted by a neighboring property owner armed with a shotgun.
According to the police log, the neighbor came out of his house with the shotgun and began threatening a firefighter. The man eventually put down the gun but then went up to the firefighter and yelled insults, police said.
The man, identified as Richard Stevenson, 61, appeared to be intoxicated, police said, and allegedly made comments about defending his neighborhood.
When he began walking back to his house with his shotgun, firefighters took him to the ground and waited for police to arrive.
Stevenson, who police said suffered minor injuries, was transported to a hospital, where he was cited by officers and released.
Copyright 2013 - The Sacramento Bee
