By EMS1 Staff
SILVER SPRING, Md. — A driver who was angry about an ambulance blocking his vehicle allegedly put a stroke patient in danger by trying to fix the situation himself.
WJLA reported that a Montgomery County Fire Rescue Service crew was treating the patient at a strip mall when Sheldon Gokool was leaving a coffee shop and noticed his van was blocked by the ambulance.
Officials said Gokool was impatient while waiting for the ambulance to move, and he got behind the wheel and shifted from park to drive, causing the vehicle to jostle and the air brake to activate while paramedics were loading the patient into the back.
According to police, Gokool told the crew they “should not have left [the ambulance] unlocked,” and falsely claimed to be a Montgomery County employee, stating his name was “Sadash.”
Paramedics said if it weren’t for the vehicle air brake system’s complexity, the patient would have been dragged through the parking lot on a stretcher.
The patient was transported to the hospital, where paramedics contacted police about the incident and gave them a photo of Gokool’s license plate.
When confronted by police, Gokool allegedly only admitted to getting into the ambulance and noticing how “roomy and comfy” the cab was.