ELKVIEW, W.Va. — A man is dead after falling off the hood of a Kanawha County ambulance early Thursday morning–and then being run over by the ambulance.
Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Jeremy Burns said John Curtis Lucas approached a two-female medic crew near the ambulance station in the Elkview area at around 2 a.m. He was wearing a trench coat and carrying what looked like a knife.
Burns said the crew decided to leave the area for safety reasons.
“They got a little freaked out and scared and decided to leave the area and so they drove away,” Burns told MetroNews. “When they were traveling along Railroad Avenue, they allege the male (Lucas) ran out from the side of Tudor’s and jumped on the hood of their vehicle and they believed that he was still armed.”
Burns said the crew continued to drive.
“It was later learned he had been under the vehicle and law enforcement responded to assist and they found him laying along U.S. Route 119, he was in critical condition.”
Lucas was pronounced dead at a short time later at the hospital. An arm had been severed.
Burns said investigators don’t yet know why Lucas was in the area. He said deputies have yet to find the knife. They hope to pull video surveillance from local businesses to get a better idea of what happened.
Burns said the medic crew was concerned for its personal safety.
“Put yourself in their shoes, driving your own personal vehicle, you’re a young female and someone jumps on the hood of your vehicle and you think they have a weapon in their hand–you would probably drive off too,” Burns said.
Burns said Lucas is known to law enforcement for non-violent and violent incidences