** Virginia fire medic charged with assaulting patient
UNITED STATES NEWS
** A Virginia fire medic from Fairfax County is facing misdemeanor assault charges for allegedly punching a homeless patient during a hospital transport September 14th. The Daily Mail (Leah Simpson/September 29) said Andrew Cruikshank’s actions were apparently recorded on a police body camera. According to the news service, Cruikshank, who is also now under internal investigation, struck the man after the patient threatened to shoot him. He also allegedly mocked him, threw a swab in his face, and placed a towel on his head while a cop held his hand over the man’s mouth. The patient later complained to police. Pending the outcome of the case, Cruikshank has been suspended. A spokesman for the EMS/fire union, meanwhile, said the video is misleading and doesn’t offer a full perspective on what happened.
