FDNY EMTs Assaulted by Two Patients

New York Daily News

Two men beat and pepper-sprayed a pair of FDNY emergency medical technicians after they refused to taxi them to another hospital, authorities said Friday.

The wild melee unfolded outside Mount Sinai West Hospital on Tenth Ave. and W. 59th St. around 1 a.m. Wednesday, cops said.

An ambulance had taken the two men—Andre Langston, 27, and Avanti Rhodes, 24, of the Bronx—to the Midtown hospital where they got into an argument with the head nurse, sources said.

The two men then ran back to the ambulance and demanded the crew take them to a different hospital, sources with knowledge of the case said.

The first responders refused, so Rhodes punched one of the EMTs, leaving him with bruises and a bloody lip, according to a criminal complaint.

When his partner intervened, Langston pulled out a can of pepper spray and blasted the two victims in the face, burning their eyes, court papers say.

Police arrested both men on felony assault charges shortly after the clash.

Rhodes was released without bail at his Manhattan Criminal Court arraignment Wednesday. Langston was ordered held on $5,000 cash/$10,000 bond. He is also being held as a fugitive from justice for an unrelated crime, authorities said.

“We’re thankful the assaulted FDNY EMTs involved in this incident are with us today. This could have ended tragically," said Oren Barzilay, president of Local 2507, the union that represents EMS workers. "Their efforts in preventing their ambulance from possibly being carjacked and causing substantial damage or injuries to others should not go unnoticed.

“The city needs to do more for the men and women who serve and protect New York," he added.