A Georgia man was arrested after police said he threatened firefighters and backed his car into a fire engine outside a Bojangles in Acworth, where crews had parked while responding to a medical emergency.
FOX 5 Atlanta reporter Denise Dillon said the confrontation happened last Saturday morning in the restaurant’s parking lot, where firefighters had pulled up close to the front door so they could quickly get inside to help someone.
The fire engine blocked in a few cars while crews handled the call. According to Dillon’s report, one of those cars belonged to 26-year-old Tyler Washington.
Police said Washington became furious that he could not leave right away.
Firefighters Were Responding To An Emergency
Dillon reported live from the Bojangles parking lot in Acworth, where she said pieces of Washington’s car were still visible on the ground after the crash.
Christine Sperow, anchoring FOX 5’s News Edge at 11, introduced the story by saying a man had been arrested after threatening to shoot firefighters who were responding to a medical call.
That detail is what makes this case stand out.
The firefighters were not parked there casually. They were not blocking cars for convenience. According to Acworth police, they were at the restaurant for an emergency, and they had parked in front so they could get inside fast.
Sgt. Eric Mistretta told FOX 5 that the crew “parked their vehicle in front of the restaurant to hurry up and get inside for the medical emergency.”
It is easy to understand why someone might feel frustrated if their car is blocked, but emergency scenes are different. The whole point is speed. A few minutes can matter, and that is exactly why large emergency vehicles often end up in awkward places.
Witness Says The Man Was “Raising Hell”
Lamar Simpson, who was at the Bojangles with his family, told Dillon he could hear Washington yelling about being blocked in.
“I could hear him raising hell that they had blocked him in,” Simpson said.
According to Simpson, Washington was causing a commotion inside or near the restaurant and directing his anger at the firefighters. He said the situation became much more alarming when Washington allegedly started making threats.
“Well, when somebody starts hollering they’re gonna shoot people, we start getting concerned,” Simpson told FOX 5.
That is the sort of sentence that changes the whole mood in a public place. A parking dispute is one thing. A person yelling about shooting firefighters while families are nearby is something else entirely.
Dillon reported that police said Washington demanded the fire crew move the engine right away. The firefighters told him they had to handle the medical emergency first.
According to Sgt. Mistretta, that answer did not calm him down.
“He made threats to shoot them,” Mistretta said. “He made threats to assault them.”
Mistretta also said Washington was using profanity and telling the firefighters they needed to move the truck.
Police Say He Backed Into The Fire Engine
The confrontation then moved from shouting to physical damage, according to police.
Dillon reported that Washington grabbed his food, stormed out of the Bojangles, got into his car, put it in reverse, and slammed into the fire truck.
Simpson described the moment plainly.
“He just rammed it like he was gonna move the fire truck,” Simpson said.
Then he added the obvious result: “It wasn’t going nowhere.”
That line says a lot without needing much more explanation. A car is not going to push a fire engine out of the way, and trying to do so turns a moment of anger into a much bigger legal problem.
According to the report, both Washington’s car and the fire engine were damaged in the collision.
Nobody in Dillon’s report suggested the crash stopped the medical response inside the restaurant, but even the possibility of delaying firefighters during a call is serious. Fire crews and paramedics already work under pressure, and when someone interferes with that work, the person having the medical emergency may be the one who pays the price.
A Witness Called 911
Simpson called 911 after watching the situation unfold, Dillon reported.
Police quickly came to the scene, and Washington was arrested.
Sgt. Mistretta said Washington was taken into custody on several charges, including obstructing firefighters, interference with government property, and terroristic threats.
The charges reflect more than just a damaged fire engine. They point to the broader issue police described: threats against emergency workers, interference with their job, and damage to public equipment.
Fire engines are not ordinary vehicles. They are expensive, specialized, and needed for emergencies that can happen at any time. If one is damaged badly enough to be taken out of service, that can affect far more people than the person who caused the damage.
Dillon also reported that Washington had an active warrant from another jurisdiction at the time of his arrest. The charge on that warrant, according to police, was also making terroristic threats.
Authorities did not say in the report which jurisdiction issued that warrant.
Firefighters “Need To Be Protected”
Simpson told Dillon he was grateful that the threats did not turn into something even worse and that the firefighters were safe.
“They’re out here to help people, and they don’t need to be threatened,” Simpson said. “They need to be protected the same as everybody else.”
That is probably the clearest takeaway from the whole story.
Firefighters, EMTs, and other first responders often arrive when people are scared, angry, hurt, or in chaos. They may block lanes, driveways, parking spaces, or entrances because their job is to reach the emergency as quickly as possible.
Most people understand that, even if it briefly inconveniences them.
What police describe in Acworth is different. According to Dillon’s report, Washington was not just annoyed that his car was blocked. He allegedly threatened the firefighters, threatened to fight them, and then used his own car to hit the fire engine.
It is a strange and troubling scene: firefighters inside a Bojangles trying to help someone with a medical issue, while outside, police say another emergency was being created over a blocked parking spot.
A Parking Dispute Turned Into Criminal Charges
Dillon reported that Washington, 26, was jailed after the incident and now faces multiple criminal charges.
Police have not released the condition or identity of the person who needed medical help inside the Bojangles. The report also did not say how much damage was done to the fire truck or Washington’s vehicle.
Still, the basic outline is clear from police and witness accounts in the FOX 5 report.
A fire engine parked near the restaurant entrance for a medical call. Washington’s car was blocked. He wanted the truck moved immediately. Firefighters said they had to deal with the emergency first. Police say he threatened them, then backed his vehicle into the engine.
That is a lot to risk over having to wait.
There are moments when frustration is understandable, but this is also where judgment matters. Emergency crews are not blocking a car to ruin someone’s morning. They are usually doing it because someone else’s morning has already become an emergency.
In this case, according to Denise Dillon’s report, one man’s anger over a blocked car ended with a damaged fire truck, a damaged car, an arrest, and a list of charges that could follow him long after the Bojangles parking lot is cleaned up.
Raised in a small Arizona town, Kevin grew up surrounded by rugged desert landscapes and a family of hunters. His background in competitive shooting and firearms training has made him an authority on self-defense and gun safety. A certified firearms instructor, Kevin teaches others how to properly handle and maintain their weapons, whether for hunting, home defense, or survival situations. His writing focuses on responsible gun ownership, marksmanship, and the role of firearms in personal preparedness.
