A Pace man remains in jail after allegedly assaulting firefighters and ambulance personnel with a 12-inch hunting knife this week, according to a Santa Rosa Sheriff's Office report.
Reports indicate Robert Bankich was standing in a doorway in a home on Pine Lane in Pace, sharpening a knife when emergency responders from the Pace Fire Department and Lifeguard Ambulance Services arrived to help with reports of a breathing problem. One of the responders on the scene asked the man to put the knife down, but Bankich did not comply.
The 56-year-old said "he would use it," referring to the hunting knife. He then walked on to the front porch, yelling and screaming, attempting to start a fight with emergency personnel.
Responders called in the Santa Rosa Sheriff's Office for assistance with the man. Bankich was making statements such as "I will cut all of you," according to the report.
Deputies took the man into custody, where he proceeded to utter explanations from the back of a patrol car. He told deputies, "They attacked me, that's why I waived the knife."
Bankich was charged with four counts of aggravated assault on an officer, firefighter, EMT, etc. His record shows a conditional release violation. He remains in jail with no bond.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: 'I will cut all of you' Pace man allegedly threatens EMS