Florida Miami firefighter Lieutenant Robert Webster has been suspended after a video surfaced of him punching a patient in the face who was being brought into the emergency room.
The security footage, which was obtained by WSVN News 7 from Jackson Memorial Hospital, shows Lieutenant Webster, along with other paramedics and police officers, wheeling Antonio Cruz, who was handcuffed onto the gurney, into the hospital emergency room. Cruz was under arrest for another incident and requested transport to the hospital because he ingested heroin and cocaine. At one point, Cruz appears to be yelling at the paramedics, and then Cruz can be seen spitting on Webster.
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The video shows chaos erupting as Webster goes into action a begins pummeling Cruz with a series of punches to the face, as Cruz attempts to avoid the blows while still handcuffed to the gurney. The gurney is seen being pushed around the emergency room during the attack. Firefighters and Miami police officers are shown trying to stop Webster, but it took a few moments to finally get him under control.
#EXCLUSIVE: Dramatic surveillance video captured the moment a City of Miami firefighter repeatedly punched a patient who was handcuffed to a stretcher at Jackson Memorial Hospital back in October. https://t.co/DkHsoNBnoD
— WSVN 7 News (@wsvn) December 13, 2022
Man who firefighter punched was likely under influence of drugs, spit at firefighter’s face, police report https://t.co/ideXMl9nu4 pic.twitter.com/s3spZzTUCD
— WPLG Local 10 News (@WPLGLocal10) December 13, 2022
"A Florida firefighter has been fired after he repeatedly punched an unruly patient who spat on him inside a Miami hospital, according to reports." https://t.co/aHgpmhiopX https://t.co/5O6PkBBKac
— rebecca (@rebecca28439182) December 13, 2022
The Miami fire department released a statement:
“The City of Miami Department of Fire Rescue was made aware of a video released of an incident involving a Miami firefighter. When this incident occurred, the individual was immediately relieved of duty. Our department is conducting an administrative investigation while this individual remains in a relieved of duty status.”
This isn’t the first time Webster has been in the news. A couple of years ago, several of Webster’s colleagues were fired after they were accused of hanging a noose over his family photo at his desk in the firehouse.
The victim of the beating Antonio Cruz was transported to the Dade County Jail and charged with aggravated assault and aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer after being treated at the hospital.
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