‘No Regrets’ Firefighter Suspended After Punching Handcuffed Patient
‘AGITATED AND SCREAMING’
A Miami firefighter was suspended over an incident in which he punched a shackled patient in a hospital after the man reportedly spat on him, according to a police report. The report laid out how the man, Antonio Cruz, 29, was arrested the afternoon of Oct. 15 over a separate incident, after which he asked for medical help as he’d ingested heroin and cocaine. Handcuffed to a stretcher, Cruz was transported to a local hospital, “agitated and screaming,” the report stated. Soon after, he allegedly spat on Webster, a moment that was seemingly captured in a 30-second soundless video clip that circulated on local news stations this week. Cruz was charged with aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer in connection with the case, officials said. The firefighter, identified by a local NBC affiliate as Robert Webster, told the station, “If he never knew the consequence of spitting in a grown man’s face, then consider my actions public education and this video a PSA.” Webster, NBC noted, had “no regrets.” A source in law enforcement told the Miami Herald that Webster is unlikely to face any charges.