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Berkeley Man Dies After #BlackLivesMatter Protesters Delay Paramedics

Alex Griswold Media Reporter
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A Berkeley, California man died last December after paramedics were delayed nearly an hour because of an unruly protest against police brutality, recently released records show. (VIDEO: Michael Brown’s Stepdad Yells ‘I’m Going To Start A Riot’)

Berkleyside, a self-described “independent news site” serving the Berkeley area, reports that the 62-year-old Alvin Henry Jones Jr. would have normally received treatment in minutes. However, due to a nearby #BlackLivesMatters protest, paramedics were instead ordered to go to a local fire station and await a police escort before attempting to rescue Jones.

It took 52 minutes to get Jones to a hospital, after which he died two days later. Paperwork filed by the Berkeley Fire Department lists the delay as an “unusual occurrence” which “affect[ed] patient care.” (VIDEO: #BlackLivesMatter Protesters Disrupt MLK Day Events Across The Country)

Lest the paramedics be accused of being overly cautious, the San Francisco Gate notes that protesters had been attacking police, and that less than an hour after Jones’ 911 call, protesters attacked a man with a hammer after he attempted to stop them from looting a Radio Shack. Berkeley’s fire chief also said there were instances where Berkeley fireman have been pelted with rocks and bottles, and that it wouldn’t be accurate to assume they’d automatically be greeted by protesters “with open arms.”

This isn’t the first time a #BlackLivesMatter protest has delayed emergency care. An ambulance was forced to divert from a Boston trauma center in January after protesters blocking the I-93 refused to let it pass.

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Alex Griswold