Man allegedly high on drugs breaks into Modesto fire station

A man allegedly high on methamphetamine broke into a Modesto fire station Wednesday because he thought someone was after him.

Shortly after 10 p.m., firefighters at Station 1 on 11th Street heard someone ringing their doorbell, Operations Division Chief Michael Lillie said. When a firefighter went downstairs, he saw that the glass front door had been shattered.

The firefighter got the rest of his crew and they went outside to find a “man starting to walk away, covered in blood,” Lillie said. The man had cuts on his arms, presumably from smashing the front window.

“Based on the severity of the cuts on his arm, we are assuming he smashed it with arms and hands,” Lillie said.

He said no rock or other objects that could have been used to break a window were found in the area.

The man told firefighters he just got out of prison and thought someone was chasing him with a weapon.

John Mendiola, 43, was taken to a hospital for treatment of his injuries. After he is released, he will be booked on suspicion of burglary and felony vandalism.

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This story was originally published August 16, 2018 at 1:13 PM.