Alleged Hit-And-Run Driver Arrested For Assaulting A Firefighter and DUI
A Davis man stands accused of causing three smashups on Interstate-80 in West Sacramento, and then allegedly assaulting firefighters attempting to help him.
It all began around midnight on Thursday, January 15, when the suspect, Luis Maximillian Zuercher, 26, a Davis resident, rear-ended another vehicle traveling eastbound on I-80 near Reed Avenue in West Sacramento, according to the CHP. Zuercher backed off, pulled a U-turn and, heading into oncoming traffic, struck two more eastbound cars. He fled the third crash site on foot, heading toward Highway 50. On the way, he encountered the first of two West Sacramento fire crews in the midst of responding to the earlier crashes he’d caused.
Maximillian Zuercher – image from Facebook
According to a West Sacramento Fire Department spokeswoman, the firefighters saw Zuercher run across the freeway’s traffic lanes. Then he climbed aboard their ladder truck, which was still moving. The firefighters tried coaxing him down from his perch, but he became agitated, yelling he’d run back across the traffic. At that point a fire captain attempted to restrain Zuercher. But, in his agitated state, Zuercher was able to break free, throwing the fire captain to the ground, where he received facial injuries requiring several stitches.
The WSFD spokeswoman said of the captain, who was treated and released from a local hospital, “He’s doing quite well.”
Zuercher got evaluated at UC Davis Medical Center and then was booked into Yolo County Jail on multiple charges including assault.
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Davis Enterprise: Suspect in freeway hit-and-runs, firefighter assault jailed
