Man threatens and rides down EMT

[Secouriste]

Hey,

Last week a man was arrested and put into custody for threatening and then riding down an EMT who was standing on a parking spot.

At 2:30 pm a crew of the Civil Protection was returning from the Paris marathon and found the Civil Protection reserved parking spots occupied illegally by third party vehicles. Meaning to park their vehicle elsewhere, the EMTs located another spot in a nearby "one way" street. One of them got off the vehicle to keep the paring spot while the rest was driving around the block.

A few seconds before the Civil Protection vehicle arrived, another car turned in the same street and arriving at the level of the "guarded" spot the door opened and the driver got out, violently protesting. The EMTs, who arrived just then, got out of their vehicle and tried to calm the man down but before long he started to call out threats. The EMTs wore their uniform and the vehicle they meant to park was marked as well. Police was called but before they arrived, the driver got back in his car and reversed into the parking spot where an EMT was still standing. The car hit the EMT's leg just when his colleagues pull him off the way. There is no doubt about the will of the driver to hit the EMT with his car.

When the police arrived, the description of the offender (wearing the staff shirt of his working place) allowed a quick identification and arrestation. The three EMTs threatened and the one hurt pressed charges against the man who was put into custody and brought to the general attorney the following day.

Fortunately and thanks to his colleagues reaction, the EMT hit by the car got only a minor knee injury resulting in 8 days off work.

The offender now awaits his trial next week for threats of violence and death and physical armed assault on a person on public service duty.

It is crazy what we can see these days...

[rock_shoes]

Wow. Was a parking spot really worth criminal charges?

[Arctickat]

Sigh, put on a uniform and you think you're the boss of everybody.

/sarcasm

Edited April 17, 2013 by Arctickat

[Secouriste]

Anyone can go crazy, shout and insult for some reason, but this guy pushed it too far. It is only logical that such attack sould be punished.

The EMT uniform is a sanctuary.

[paramedicmike]

A sanctuary for whom?

[Secouriste]

For whoever wears it.

... if that makes sense.

Edited April 18, 2013 by Secouriste

[paramedicmike]

How so?

[scubanurse]

Perhaps this is a language barrier? Sanctuary: A place of refuge or safety, or immunity from arrest.

It would be difficult for a uniform to become a sanctuary.

[Arctickat]

I'm thinking he means respect the uniform, even if you don't respect the wearer.

[Secouriste]

Sorry, it was a metaphor, but maybe it doesn't translate so well in english.

I just mean that, the same way no one should ever target an ambulance (that's the principle of the red cross), an EMT should never be assaulted in any way or for any reason. Of course, the same can be said about anyone, but in France (because I don't know how that works in the US) any criminal action taken against someone on public service duty will be more severely punished.

There is a basic respect people have to observe toward people working for the general interest.

I'm not talking of the problem of drunk or drugged or psych patients.

In the situation described in the original post, the person, sober and with no obvious psych issue, decided to hurt a fellow EMT with his car (which I deemed as weapon). There is no forgiving for such thing.

But that's my point of view.

I hope it's clearer.