Crime

Man attacks firefighters, vandalizes car with camping tent pole, Woodland police say

A man was arrested Tuesday morning after allegedly vandalizing a vehicle and physically assaulting one or more firefighters using a camping tent pole, Woodland authorities said.

Police responded shortly after 8:30 a.m. to reports of a male “fighting with Woodland Firefighters” near Springlake Court and Pioneer Avenue, blocking traffic in the process, the Woodland Police Department said in a Facebook post, quickly shared by the Woodland Fire Department.

Fire personnel had been attempting to contact the man to get him out of the intersection. The man had refused to leave the intersection, but then assaulted one of the firefighters and fled to the parking lot of a nearby supermarket, police said.

“While in the parking lot the subject began to vandalize a vehicle with a camping pole causing thousands of dollars worth of damage,” the news release said. “The subject also struck a firefighter with one of the poles.”

It was not clear whether the man allegedly assaulted two different firefighters or the same firefighter twice.

Fire personnel eventually detained the subject, who was taken into custody by police and booked into the Yolo County jail for felony charges including assault with a deadly weapon, vandalism and felony assault on a firefighter. Despite booking, the Woodland Police Department said it had “not been able to positively identify” the suspect as of midday Tuesday.

The Woodland police and fire departments in social media posts said no one involved in the incident “received injuries that required medical treatment.”

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Michael McGough
The Sacramento Bee
Michael McGough is a sports and local editor for The Sacramento Bee. He previously covered breaking news and COVID-19 for The Bee, which he joined in 2016. He is a Sacramento native and graduate of Sacramento State. 
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