What the fuck, why were the police involved at all?
Sincerely,
A paramedic
Edit: ahhh, read it again, she said he wasn't breathing, so the officer may have been intending to perform CPR until Fire/EMS arrival. Still don't understand how tf you bungle a situation like this so badly.
Still don’t understand how tf you bungle a situation like this so badly.
Step 1: Assume the person is intoxicated
Step 2: Do whatever you want because you're a cop and you don't consider drug users people/"something something fentanyl"
Read the article, sounds like he was combative post-ictal. I'm not excusing the officer; it's a thing, not the most common, but I've definitely had my share of dudes that would just hulk out after a seizure. There's no real reasoning or logic to it, they don't mean to be combative. I think it's down to the lights being on while monke brain is down for the count, so lizard brain senses all the hallmarks of a fight or flight situation in the wake of the seizure and decides "fuck it, we ball". This is definitely a situation that needed medical professionals. We've always managed these situations without bringing the patient to any harm, all while still protecting ourselves. Cops aren't taught those skills, especially not since the war on drugs and war on terror allowed them to tell themselves that they're the warriors on the Frontline, the thin blue line that seperates the good from the wicked, yadda, yadda, yadda. When you're a hammer, everything looks like a nail, etc. The smart thing for the cop to have done would be to listen to the wife and remove himself from the situation until EMS arrived.
You're absolutely right. I tried to flee after my seizure, and the paramedics still got me to the hospital without anyone beating me or otherwise causing me harm. The police screen for people who actively want to hurt others and amplify that impulse.
Gotta love warrior training tracing cops across the map to shoot before they’re even done assessing the situation. They got rid of all that pesky responsibility the job had before.