A Miami Firefighter Has Been Suspended For Punching A Man Who Spit In His Face. Says "He Has No Regrets" And Good For Him
NBC Miami - A City of Miami Fire Rescue lieutenant who was caught on video punching a handcuffed patient on a stretcher said he has no regrets over his actions.
Robert Webster was relieved of duty and under investigation after the Oct. 15 incident, according to the department.
The video of the incident lasts about 40 seconds and has no audio. The patient — identified in a police report as Antonio Cruz — was brought to the ER at Jackson Memorial Hospital after consuming cocaine and heroin.
According to police, Cruz was "agitated and screaming to the rescue personnel." In the video, he's seen spitting in the direction of Webster's face.
Webster then starts swinging, punching the handcuffed man multiple times as his coworkers try to stop him.
“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 told NBC 6 on Tuesday.
How's the saying go? Don't poke the bear?
Or the newer one that's all the rage these days? Fuck around and find out?
Well, whichever one you prefer, that's exactly what went down here with Mr. Robert Webster.
“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 told NBC 6 on Tuesday.
What an A+ line from a guy you know gives no fucks. Respect is respect and human decency is human decency.
It's fucking insanity to me seeing animals like Antonio Cruz, who would be laying in the gutter somewhere dead, if it weren't for public servants like Fire Fighters, Police, and EMT's, abusing these people verbally and physically. I can't even begin to imagine that being part of my profession, where you are tasked with rescuing scumbags like that on a daily basis and suffering abuse from them while doing it. Straight bonkers. But as they say, no good deed goes unpunished.
I just really hope this guy doesn't lose his job over this. He showed plenty of restraint before going hambone on that guy's face. The first wad of spit would have been enough for me to lose it. This guy was cool and calm until it hit his face.
This guy is lucky Robert Webster is old school and left it at a few right hooks and nothing else. He could have easily wheeled this stretcher down into the basement, where there's no cameras and pulled a Nicky Santoro, by putting his head in a vice.