A man suspected of assaulting paramedics and stealing their ambulance in August has been arrested and charged with multiple felonies, according to the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office.
Francisco Vargas-Osario, 33, was arrested Thursday near Seventh and Minna streets in San Francisco and charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, carjacking, vandalism, receiving a stolen vehicle and vehicle theft, prosecutors and police officials announced Monday.
Vargas-Osario, who is being held without bond, is alleged to have used a wooden tree stake to smash the ambulance windows as it was parked in the Best Buy parking lot at 1717 Harrison Street while two San Francisco Fire Department paramedics were inside.
When the paramedics got out of the vehicle to flee, Vargas-Osario allegedly commandeered it and then tried to run them down, did some laps around the parking lot and then got out and hoped a fence to get away, according to police officials.
“Although I am grateful no one was harmed, attacking on duty EMTs endangers all of us as we depend on these brave individuals to render life-saving aid when we are at our most vulnerable, and in desperate need of medical attention,” District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said in a news release Monday.
Vargas-Osario was identified as a suspect based on unspecified evidence CSI officers found at the scene, according to police.
He was arrested Thursday after being recognized by an off-duty SFPD officer, police said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the San Francisco Police Department Tip Line at (415) 575-4444 or Text a Tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD.
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