An inmate working on a wildfire east of Sacramento in Shingle Springs, California stole a fire engine and went on a joyride.
The 31-year old inmate did major damage to the CAL FIRE engine as he drove cross country at 12:40 a.m. Monday, did donuts, then crashed through a fence and entered the storage area for a company that manufactures truck racks.
When he got the fire engine stuck in a ditch he attempted to steal another vehicle:
From KTVU:
With the firetruck disabled, the inmate ran back toward the truck racks business and tried to steal a vehicle from a business employee who was just leaving, Varao said. They fought, but the employee was able to escape back into the business and lock himself inside, while the inmate was unable to start the employee’s vehicle.
The employee was left with “very minor injuries” but was not taken to the hospital, while the inmate was then captured by correctional officers with the help of El Dorado County sheriff’s deputies about a half-hour after the incident began.
The inmate was not identified.
Video from Fox 40:
Am I the only one that would like to see the video of him doing donuts in the engine? Dont know that I have even heard of that in an engine.
Let’s see: paying for the damage he caused to the CDF engine at $1/day equals a really long stay in the Iron Bar Hotel.
Well then, I guess they shouldn’t do crimes that cause them to be in a prison….
Gee, it seems that inmates don’t want to be conscripted from prisons to do dangerous work at slave wages for private prison corporations?
Hi Martha. In California at least, inmates are not conscripted. They are given the opportunity to participate in the firefighting program voluntarily. Granted, wages are essentially non-existent, but as the name California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation suggests, rehabilitation permitting re-assimilation into society is a key role of the FF program. Not only does it permit non-violent crime inmates to “escape” the routine confines of prison, it now offers them an opportunity to find permanent employment with firefighting agencies upon release. Vetting of inmates for the program does present possible negative outcomes. I hope one “bad apple” does not negatively affect the program. Overall the program is a plus plus for the inmates and for the State. LR