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A tow truck removes the vehicle that Ramirez hit with the fire truck on Sunday afternoon as he tried to escape from officers. Photo: Elisabeth Strillacci

A small excerpt from the massive response when emergency services and firefighters reported by radio that a man they were trying to check had shot at them. The man stole a fire truck in an attempt to escape, but was eventually arrested by the Rowan County Sheriff.

A man who shot at paramedics and firefighters before stealing a fire truck ended up plowing through this soybean field before stopping. Photo by Elisabeth Strillacci

Miguel Angel Ramirez, 42, was arrested after he shot at paramedics and firefighters who came across a report that he might be unconscious in a car on the side of the road.

According to Captain Mark McDaniel, Rowan County Sheriff’s Office spokesman, 911 received a report at approximately 11:46 a.m. that a man appeared to be unconscious in a vehicle on the side of Highway 152 at Shinn Farm Road. When emergency responders and firefighters arrived, they realized the man may have been impaired and called police for help, but before officers could arrive, the man pulled out a gun and began shooting at emergency responders and firefighters.

Shooter Ramirez then jumped into a fire truck and drove off, heading east on 152 back toward China Grove. In his attempts to escape, he knocked at least one other vehicle off the road and crashed into the back of another vehicle before running off the road and plowing through a soybean field just past Unity Church Road. Just before he got back on the road, he came to a stop in the grass and NC State Highway Patrol officers were able to arrest him without further issue. They then turned him over to Rowan County Sheriff’s officers for processing.

McDaniel said charges are expected, but it is not yet known what they will entail. He added that investigators have recovered the gun that Ramirez threw out the window of the fire truck while driving on the highway.

A paramedic suffered minor injuries when she fell to the ground trying to get to safety when the shots were fired, but McDaniel said she is expected to recover. No one was hit by the gunfire and no other injuries were reported.

A couple who live very close to the crash scene said they heard the bang as Ramirez rammed the car before it drove through the soybean field, and the woman said she saw the truck come to a stop. Seeing it was a fire truck, she wanted to get closer to see if anyone needed help, “but then the cop came and the guy put his hands in the air, and I thought, ‘Oh my God, I’m so glad I didn’t get closer.'”

Her husband said they both wondered why on earth a fire truck would drive through the field, but when they realized the man had stolen the car, they understood, although they were still shocked. Her son called after seeing a Facebook post about the incident, just to make sure they were OK.