ST. LOUIS — An ambulance on its way to an accident with injuries Monday in St. Louis was delayed after someone threw a rock at it. The ambulance was headed to a crash and the victim later died, according to a police source.
Shortly after 4 p.m., the ambulance was traveling near South Kingshighway Boulevard and Magnolia Avenue in the North Hampton neighborhood when someone threw a rock, which struck the passenger side of the ambulance and left a dent. The man who threw the rock then ran away northbound along South Kingshighway Boulevard.
The EMS workers were on their way to an accident near Arsenal Street and Ivanhoe Avenue involving a man on a moped who was struck by a woman in a car making a left turn from eastbound Arsenal Street to northbound Ivanhoe Avenue. At the scene, the victim, 60-year-old Rodney LaRue, was speaking with officers at the scene, and his injuries appeared to be non-critical and moderate, according to the source.
Due to the victim’s statements and behavior at the scene, traffic officers determined accident reconstruction would not be necessary. Officers reconstruct traffic incidents right away if the crash results in a person's death.
The ambulance took LaRue to the hospital. There, his condition worsened and he became unresponsive, according to the source.
Doctors revived him long enough to get into the operating room, but he died from his injuries, the source said.
Police noted the property damage incident delayed the ambulance’s arrival at the scene in their report.
On Wednesday, LaRue's family shared the follow statement about their loved one with 5 On Your Side.
“Rodney LaRue, brother, friend and gentle soul. He was the youngest of six siblings in a very close knit family. So many people, his handyman clients and many others called him friend. He was like his father before him. He never met a stranger, always at ease with people and animals. He was a guy who would crawl into a tiny space on a hot day to rescue a baby bunny. He was a talented musician who also built beautiful custom guitars. Rod left us long before his time and his leaving has left a hole in our hearts.”