A fire truck rushing to extinguish a forest fire near Stockholm was deliberately blocked by a van driver in a dramatic road rage incident. The fire crew managed to stop the van and detained the driver until police arrived. The driver, suspected of multiple offenses, was arrested.
Fire Truck Blocked in Dramatic Road Rage Incident Near Stockholm
Fire Truck Blocked in Dramatic Road Rage Incident Near Stockholm
A fire truck was speeding to extinguish a forest fire outside Stockholm when it attempted to overtake a van. The van's driver became furious and blocked the fire truck.
"He deliberately blocked us and tried to flee," said a member of the fire crew present at the scene.
Around 3 PM on Saturday, police received an alert that a van was refusing to let a fire truck pass, which was on its way to a forest fire in Upplands Väsby, outside Stockholm.
The situation escalated when the van's driver blocked the fire truck, which then caught up with him and blocked the van. The fire crew took his car keys, detained the driver, and called the police, according to a crew member.
"A Case of Road Rage"
"The van's driver deliberately blocked us. We tried to overtake, but he refused to move aside. He didn't like that we wanted to overtake, and he got angry. It was a case of 'road rage,'" said the crew member.
"He tried to flee. The fire truck caught up with him and stopped him. We took his keys and held him until the police arrived," he added.
He mentioned that the police arrived quickly, within about two minutes, and took charge of the driver and a passenger.
Continued to the Fire
"Then we could continue to the forest fire. Another fire truck was already there. It took us an hour and a half to extinguish the fire," he said.
The police confirmed the sequence of events.
"We received an alert that the Rescue Service had issues with a driver who wouldn't let a fire truck pass. He was swerving back and forth across the road, preventing them from overtaking. He obstructed their emergency response," said Daniel Wikdahl, spokesperson for the Stockholm police region.
"Communicating with Gestures"
"When the road became multi-lane, the fire truck managed to overtake. The fire crew and the driver communicated with gestures. Then the fire truck blocked the car and stopped it. The crew took the keys and called the police," he said.
Police arrived at the scene and arrested the driver, who is in his mid-30s. He is detained and suspected of emergency service sabotage, unauthorized driving, drug driving, and drug possession.