‘Angry’ firefighter retrieves car from tow truck, drives into tow workers, KY cops say
A Kentucky firefighter was arrested after police said he hit two tow company workers with his vehicle.
Ramiro Rodriguez, 34, of Louisville, was arrested Jan. 21 on charges including assault, terroristic threatening, leaving an accident and operating on a suspended or revoked license, court records show. Attorney information for Rodriguez was not available.
Rodriguez is a sergeant with the Louisville Fire Department, WLKY and the Courier-Journal reported.
Tony’s Wrecker Service, a towing company, was called Jan.14 to move a vehicle without plates abandoned on the road, according to a criminal complaint.
After the vehicle was hooked up to the tow truck, Rodriguez returned, saying he ran out of gas and walked to a gas station to get more, records show.
After being told by police that he could get his vehicle back after paying a fee, Rodriguez became “angry” and threatened to “beat” the tow truck driver, authorities said.
Rodriguez paid the fee and followed the tow truck driver back to the company’s office where he continued to threaten the driver, records show.
The firefighter then turned his car around and hit two other workers with his vehicle, causing injuries to both, then fled the scene, authorities said. The workers had been telling Rodriguez to leave before they were struck, officials said.
At the time of the incident, Rodriguez was driving with a suspended license, authorities said.
McClatchy News reached out to the Louisville Fire Department to confirm Rodriguez’s employment status but did not immediately hear back.
This story was originally published January 23, 2025 at 5:15 PM.
