By Jessica Cunnington and Romney Smith
Two EMTs were attacked and four were injured in total while responding to a 911 call in the Bronx Thursday night, officials said.
The on-duty emergency personnel got a 911 call around 10:30 p.m. about a person with an “altered mental status” at a Morris Heights building on Sedgwick Avenue.
When they arrived, they tried to help the individual, officials say. In all, four EMTs suffered injuries, according to the EMS union: One in their 20s suffered a cut to the head that required five staples, while another in their 30s was cut in the hand that also needed stitches.
One of the other EMTs, a 20-year-old, was punched in the face, while a 21-year-old was kicked in the stomach, the union said.
All four went to the hospital and are expected to recover.
The crime scene stretched through several hallways of the building, with blood and glass littering the ground and walls.
The 22-year-old suspect, identified as Jose Bencosme, was arrested and charged with two counts of assault, police said. Attorney information for Bencosme was not immediately available.
President Oren Barzilay’s comment:
The union president, Oren Barzilay, telling us in a statement this morning, there are no routine calls for the men and women on this job, and violence against their crews is unfortunately becoming routine, he says. And he also says that that is unacceptable.