This kind of thing is never good… Olympic snowboarder Andy Finch’s Dad has apparently suffered a series of flashbacks causing him to open fire on a group of police officers which had pulled him over for traffic offenses. Andy’s Dad, Clifford Finch, was awarded the Purple Heart in Vietnam. He is now in a critical condition in hospital after being shot several times and is expected to be charged with attempted murder when he is released. There’s no word from Andy at this point but here’s hoping his Dad’s okay and gets fairly treated. Unfortunately I don’t have a credit for it but the full article is under the cut.

FRESNO, Calif.—The father of an Olympic snowboarder was in critical condition Monday night after leading police on a high-speed chase and exchanging gunfire with officers, authorities and relatives said.

Clifford Darrell Finch, 58, the father of snowboarder Andy Finch, was shot several times after he fired a handgun at the officers who followed him through several red lights and forced his car off the road Monday morning, said Fresno police spokesman Jeff Cardinale. Police think Finch was looking for his wife, who had obtained an emergency protective order against him Sunday, Cardinale said.

“He had two choices — surrender or fire at our officers. Our officers had no choice but to return fire. That is never their first choice—it’s always their last choice,” he said.

Fitch’s brother, Craig Finch, of Ventura, said his brother earned a Purple Heart during the Vietnam War and may have been having a flashback that was intensified by not having slept for several days. Craig Finch said he and his brother’s wife, Joan, had tried to get Cliff Finch to check into the Veterans Administration hospital in Fresno.

“He was not Cliff—something snapped,” Craig Finch said. “We knew something was terribly wrong and it needed to be handled by the VA, not by Fresno police at gunpoint.”

Andy Finch, who reached the finals of the men’s snowboarding competition at the Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy, was reportedly traveling in France and could not be reached.

Police said they planned to arrest the elder Finch on suspicion of attempted murder on a police officer.