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Man Accused Of Biting Firefighter's Hand, Threatening Deputies

LA PLATA COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - An Arizona man is accused of hitting and biting a firefighter who tried to help him after a car crash south of Hesperus.

The Durango Herald reported that Joe Benally, 20, of Lukachukai, Arizona, was arrested in La Plata County. He was one of three people in a car that rolled over on Highway 140 Thursday afternoon.

Joe Benally
Joe Benally (credit: La Plata County Sheriff's Office)

Authorities say they all tried to run away but the Colorado State Patrol helped round them up.

According to investigators, Benally bit a firefighter on the hand and threatened to shoot up the homes of three deputies who were on scene.

"When a sheriff's deputy arrived, the State Patrol had the driver in custody, and the two other occupants were sitting on the side of the road, including Benally," Daniel Bender with the La Plata County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. "Firefighters attempted to check on Benally, and when they did, Benally started punching the firefighters.

"The sheriff's deputy took Benally to Mercy Regional Medical Center for observations. Once there, he told three deputies he knew where they lived and would do a drive-by shooting of their houses."

It's not clear what caused the crash.

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