EMT arrested for allegedly punching 17-year-old patient in an ambulance
Video taken from a Georgia police officer's body camera purports to show an EMT punching a 17-year-old patient in the back of an ambulance.
The video begins as an officer approaches the back doors of an ambulance in Dunwoody, Georgia. As the officer approaches, commotion can be seen inside the emergency vehicle through the door windows.
After the officer opens the back door, the EMT can be heard screaming expletives, and another officer is seen trying to restrain her and remove her from the ambulance through the side door, toward the front of the vehicle.
The video was provided to ABC Atlanta affiliate WSB-TV through the City of Dunwoody on Wednesday.
The teen was handcuffed behind his back and restrained at the ankles on a stretcher, WSB-TV reported. He was supposed to be transported to the hospital for an evaluation,
At one point, the officer who restrained the EMT asks her, "What is wrong with you?" The EMT then replies that the teen spit on her.
"That is a kid," the officer says. "That is a child -- a 17-year-old child. What are you doing?"
The officer then handcuffed the EMT and arrested her for assault and battery, according to WSB-TV. She was released from jail after posting bail.
The boy's parents, who wished to remain anonymous, told WSB-TV that their child didn't deserve to be treated that way.
The boy's mother said the video got "her blood boiling."
"He's a child, you know," the boy's father said. "No human being deserves that."
The incident occurred on Saturday night, American Medical Response, said in a statement to WSB-TV. The EMT is no longer an employee with the company, the company said, adding that they take the "matter very seriously."
"The safety of patients in our care is of the utmost importance to us and we have hundreds of employees in the area who care for hundreds of patients in DeKalb County each day," the statement read. "Our paramedics have tremendous pride in what we do, and we are honored to have the responsibility to provide care for residents."
American Medical Response did not comment on the incident further, citing the ongoing investigation.
ABC News reached out to the Dunwoody Police Department for comment.
