Bodycam footage released Thursday shows a man who later died on the sidewalk being kicked out of an ambulance Nov. 30, 2023.
The unidentified patient from Rochester collapsed on the ground in front of paramedics and police after he was forced to leave the ambulance during a medical emergency, footage shows.
The 12-minute video showed an ambulance parked on the side of a road while flashing its lights. The emergency vehicle’s doors opened after police arrived and medical workers were seen attempting to remove the patient, who allegedly lunged at the paramedics, from inside.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with him, but he will not get out of the truck — and he’s got to go,” an EMT was heard telling an officer in the footage.
The man clutched his chest and shoulders while struggling for air. He was heard telling police that he couldn’t breathe. An officer attempted to extract the patient from the ambulance, telling him, “that’s a wrap.”
“We tried to help, hunny, but the way that you got in here and the way that you jumped at us is no way to – (unintelligble),” an EMT was heard saying.
The patient told police he was “freaking out” and pleaded with officers to take him to the hospital, footage shows.
“I’m getting out,” the man told an officer. “You’d freak out too if you can’t breathe.”
“I hear ya, I would probably try to control myself a little bit better. I’m not gonna grab on anybody, you know what I mean,” one officer replied.
“I tried to grab for the door,” the man responded.
The patient ultimately complied with police and left the ambulance before falling on the sidewalk. He died two weeks after the incident, Rochester Mayor Malik Evans revealed in a press conference Thursday. (RELATED: Man ‘Fighting For His Life’ After Teens Sprayed Him With Flammable Liquid, Set Him On Fire)
“Even though this was a medical scene, there are lessons to be learned for all involved,” Evans said. “We must get to the bottom of this. We must understand how and why this occurred, and we must identify processes and safeguards to ensure that it does not happen again.”
The Daily Caller reached out to the Rochester Police Department for comment.