Police in Portsmouth, Ohio, are investigating an incident that involved an officer allegedly roughing up a paramedic during an emergency call on Saturday.
Video posted online appears to show a Portsmouth police officer grabbing an EMT paramedic by the collar or neck and shoving him up against a police cruiser.
READ MORE: Injured Calgary paramedic highlights risks first responders face every day
The incident began when emergency crews responded to a man left unconscious following a fight at a bar.
Paramedics were treating the victim when he regained consciousness and became agitated, witness Trevor Conley told WSAZ.
“He just woke up from being knocked out, and he’s got guys all around him grabbing a hold of him,” Conley says. “You’re going to freak out.”
Conley says that’s when one of the officers used a Taser on the injured man, prompting the paramedic to intervene.
“The EMT said, ‘You can’t be tasing this guy, he’s bleeding, got head problems,'” said fellow witness Josh Journey.
That’s when the officer allegedly began his assault on the EMT, sparking Conley and Journey to pull out their phones and begin recording.
After holding the the EMT for a few moments, the video appears to show the officer release him before confronting the men.
“That’s when he came across the street at us and was pretty hostile,” said Journey.
Conley and Journey added that the officer demanded they turn over their phones, but they refused.
The Portsmouth Police Department put the officer involved on administrative leave and hope to report the findings of their investigation on Wednesday.
WSAZ reported that officials from Life Medical Response, the paramedic’s employer, say they are co-operating with police, but added that the original video uploaded had been heavily edited.
Comments