The Herald Express
TORQUAY, England — A teenager has been charged with recklessly endangering life and criminal damage following an incident in Newton Abbot where a can of beer was thrown at an ambulance, smashing the windscreen.
The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was charged in relation to the incident which took place at about 9.50pm on March 21.
The ambulance crew were responding to a 999 call when a full can of alcohol was thrown at their vehicle as it passed under the Buckland footbridge over the A380 near Penn Inn.
The paramedics were responding to a call regarding an elderly woman who had been taken ill.
The can completely shattered the driver’s side of the windscreen, showering the ambulance cab with shards of glass.
Luckily both paramedics, a man and woman, managed to pull the vehicle over safely and neither of them was injured.
Det Sgt Neil Ralph, who was leading the investigation, said: “We hope that this charge will act as a deterrent for others thinking of engaging in this sort of behaviour.
“There is a very real danger to people’s lives of doing this to emergency services trying to go about their business.”
The windscreen of the ambulance cost £500 to repair.
The youth will appear at Newton Abbot Youth Court on Wednesday, May 19.
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