By Alex Branch
Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Texas)
Copyright 2007 Fort Worth Star-Telegram
AZLE, Texas — An Azle High School student told police he threw a car jack through the windshield of a moving ambulance because he was mad after an argument with his family, Azle Police Chief Steve Myers said.
Bryan L. Cotton, 18, was arrested Wednesday on a charge of aggravated assault on a public servant, Myers said.
Cotton was being held Thursday in the Parker County jail. Bail was set at $30,000.
Cotton confessed to throwing the jack, which struck paramedic Donnie Stone in the face Feb. 14, Myers said. Stone, 30, suffered a fractured skull and a severe laceration.
“Basically, (Cotton) just said he did it because he was mad,” Myers said.
Stone was hit as he rode in the passenger seat of a Lifecare ambulance about 9:30 p.m. on Farm Road 730 near Stewart Street in Azle. He and another paramedic had just left a call when someone on the side of road flung a jack into the ambulance’s path.
The jack broke the windshield and hit Stone in the forehead.
The ambulance driver stopped and treated Stone until another ambulance arrived and took him to the hospital. Stone was still recovering from his injuries at home Thursday, said Paul Smith, director of emergency medical services for the Parker County Hospital District.
Investigators became suspicious of Cotton after interviewing people in the area where the incident occurred, Myers said.
“If you’re familiar with the area, there’s not a whole lot out there,” Myers said. “Our investigators interviewed people at a convenience store and got some information about this individual. He was someone who had crossed their minds.”
Police said Cotton was arrested Wednesday morning at school.
Investigators say they believe Cotton argued with a family member shortly before the paramedic was struck, Myers said.
Officials have said it was unclear if the person who threw the jack knew he was throwing it into the path of an ambulance. It was dark outside and the ambulance’s lights and sirens were off.
The episode was frightening because of its randomness, Meyers said.
“It could have happened to anyone who drove by,” the police chief said. “The paramedic was really lucky. If he gets hit a few centimeters in another direction, this could have much more tragic.”