TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Ruskin man will remain jailed ahead of his trial after he was accused of intentionally crashing a car into an ambulance that was taking his girlfriend to the hospital.
Johnny Arman, 34, burst into tears Thursday before a Hillsborough County judge handed down the decision, shortly after prosecutors played prison phone call recordings that suggested he downplayed the seriousness of the accused crimes in the days after his arrest.
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In a call with his mother, prosecutors said Arman was instructed to “put on a performance and cry for the judge” to secure his release. While speaking with another woman, Arman laughed about the incident.
“He thought crocodile tears would work. But a judge still held defendant Johnny Arman behind bars without bond until trial after a hearing in Hillsborough County court this morning,” State Attorney Suzy Lopez said.
On June 25, prosecutors said Arman abused his girlfriend, who needed to be taken to the hospital to treat a broken jaw, but he has not been charged in connection with her injuries. He “repeatedly attempted to force his way into the ambulance” as two paramedics were getting ready to transport her, and they “were forced to physically extend their arms and position themselves between the defendant and the ambulance entrance to prevent him from entering,” court documents stated…