To get an alleged assault victim to a hospital as quickly as possible Sunday morning, police said an Athens officer broke down a door and jumped behind the wheel of an ambulance.
Officers responding to a report of an aggravated assault in progress at a Lexington Road home needed to act fast, according to Athens-Clarke County police. A 46-year-old woman called for help and told emergency dispatchers a man was attacking her, and he had a baseball bat.
When officers arrived about 2:30 a.m., they “could hear a struggle inside the residence,” police spokesman Geoffrey Gilland said. They forced their way into the home and quickly detained the man, identified as 51-year-old Christopher Warden.
The woman was badly injured and needed “immediate care” to save her life, Gilland said.
“To provide quicker access for an EMS crew, an ACCPD officer forced the back door of the residence open,” Gilland said. “EMS entered through this door and began providing aid.”
The officer helped get the woman into the back of the ambulance and then took the keys, allowing the EMS crew to continue working on her as he drove.
She was taken to a local hospital for treatment, and her condition was not released Thursday.
Warden was arrested on charges of aggravated assault and aggravated battery related to family violence. Police did not disclose the relationship between Warden the the victim.
He is being held in the Clarke County jail without bond, jail records show.
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