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OAKLAND — A police officer was hospitalized Wednesday morning after a violent confrontation with a man who attacked firefighters and paramedics after his airborne car landed in an East Oakland backyard after hitting a garage and a tree, authorities said.
The officer received significant injuries, police said. The suspect, whose name was not released, also was hospitalized. Police said he was 38 and his last address was in Woodland Hills in Southern California. Investigators don’t yet know why he was in Oakland.
Both the officer and suspect were later released from the hospital and the suspect was taken to Santa Rita Jail.
The confrontation, in which the suspect wielded a medical spinal backboard, happened about 6:20 a.m. in the 9900 block of Golf Links Road near Califia Avenue and Knowland Park.
Officer Johnna Watson said the suspect had been driving a Nissan Altima at high speed southbound on Golf Links when, as he drove up a private driveway, his car launched into the air, hit a wall, tree and garage and ended up below in a backyard in the 3600 block of Dorisa Avenue.
He walked away from the wreckage. Firefighters and Paramedics Plus paramedics and the officer found him on Golf Links and medical treatment was started.
For a still unknown reason, the man began attacking the firefighters and paramedics with the backboard they were using and when the officer came to their aid, the man began fighting violently with him, including punching him, Watson said.
Firefighters and paramedics tried to help the officer, who was able to call for help over his portable radio, bringing other officers quickly to the scene and the suspect was subdued and handcuffed.
“First responders showed up to help the man involved in a car accident,” Watson said. “The man attacked the officer and the Oakland Police Department is thankful for paramedics plus and the fire departments’ help until additional officers were able to arrive on scene
“This could have been a very different outcome if the officer did not receive the help from our fellow first responders.”
The car landed in the backyard of Mary and Early McLendon’s home where they have lived for 25 years.
Mary McLendon said she had just gotten up about 6 a.m. and was in her kitchen opening a can of food for her cat “when I started hearing a crashing noise. The house was not shaking and I knew this was not an earthquake. Then I saw the tree down in the background and I thought it had just fell.
“I didn’t realize a car had gone airborne over the back road and over the fence and landed in my tree.”
Some of the branches of the pepper tree broke off, hitting her house and car. She said “the initial sound I heard was the crash of the tree and my car alarm going off.”
She said it was about 10 minutes later she saw a person who turned out to be the driver walking away.
“Amazingly he walked away from this,” she said. “He was barefoot and had shorts on.” She was not sure if he was bleeding but did say she “never saw any facial wounds or anything.”
She said nothing like this has ever happened before on their property. “It’s not the sight to wake up to at 6 a.m.,” she said.
Both the wreck and attack on the officer are under investigation. Golf Links Road was shut down for a while while police investigated.
