Video Released in OHP Trooper / Paramedic Incident
Tuesday June 16, 2009
By now, you've likely heard about the May 24th incident in which Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Daniel Martin and Creek Nation Paramedic Maurice White Jr. were involved in a physical altercation while a female patient waited in the ambulance. A cell phone video of the incident has received over a million views on YouTube, and OHP has now released the dash cam video. Be aware that the videos contain explicit language.
Now, each of the parties is telling his side of the story. White, preparing a lawsuit against the state, appeared on the CBS program "The Early Show" calling for Martin's badge while the OHP Trooper's attorney held a press conference to defend his client's actions, saying White "escalated the situation." Reportedly, Martin has received death threats, and an internet petition seeking to have him fired has several hundred signatures.
So what do you think? After viewing the videos, who do you think is in the wrong here?
Now, each of the parties is telling his side of the story. White, preparing a lawsuit against the state, appeared on the CBS program "The Early Show" calling for Martin's badge while the OHP Trooper's attorney held a press conference to defend his client's actions, saying White "escalated the situation." Reportedly, Martin has received death threats, and an internet petition seeking to have him fired has several hundred signatures.
So what do you think? After viewing the videos, who do you think is in the wrong here?
Comments
This is one of the worst, videos of police brutaliy, and a God complex, I have ever seen, The dash cam clearly shows the officer was out of control, you can even hear him make a comment about how mad he was they did’nt yeild.It should be a felony to impeed an abulance, when transporting a patient. He sould be fired!!!!
I spent many years as a Paramedic myself and NEVER have I seen witness to such treatment of another EMS Personnel. OHP needs his badge and his job taken from him. It is quite obvious he is in the WRONG line of work.
The priority in this situation should have been the patient and getting her to the hospital. Once the officer knew there was a patient involved he should have stopped what he was doing and allowed them to continue. I don’t think the officers career should be ruined because of this incident. I’m sure the department is handling this by procedure. Does the officer’s actions warrant death threats, not at all!
First, this is being run into the ground by the local news media, they need to stop because there is other things going on. Second, as a former Paramedic and son of a law enforcement officer, BOTH are in the wrong. The Driver is in the wrong by not stoping because it does say that he has to stop. It does not matter what is going on in that rig. The Paramedic is suppose to have the patient’s well being stablized even before starting transport. The Officer is wrong by even stoping. He was to go around the rig and call it in and keep going to his first call and then return to respond to the possible violation that occured. I feel that the officer, the paramedic, and the driver should not lose their jobs but should have to go to anger management and sensitivity traning and failing to do so should lead to dissimal.
Fire the cop cause he doesn’t deserve to wear any such badge and i would of wanted to beat his ass too if my wife was in the ambulance while he acted in that manner.
That is interesting information from jesse (above). I originally thought that the Trooper should be fired (and, by the way, does anyone else think he was having a fight with his wife, since she was in his vehicle with him?), but, after reading this post, I agree with jesse.
Being in Nursing.. first is DO NO HARM!!! For all of you SANCTIMONIOUS PEOPLE WHO FEEL HE SHOULDNT BE FIRED.. I SAY BULLSH@#!! tROOPER ACTED WITHOUT REGARD TO THE PATIENT.. HAD HIS ASS ON HIS SHOULDERS ANF TRIED TO BE TUFF TELL ME THIS IF THE TROOPER WERE BLACK AND THE PATIENT WHITE WOULD YOU ALL FEEL DIFFERENT?? WHAT IF THIS WAS YOUR MOTHER/DAUGHTER/WIFE??? hOW THE HELL WOULD YOU FEEL? tHE SUPERVISOR FROM THE BUS HAD EVERY RIGHT TO STEP OUT AND INFORM HIM THAT THERE WAS A PATIENT IN THE BACK IF THE TROOPER AND SHUT THE HELL UP LONG ENOUGH AND GAVE A DAMN!!! THIS MESS COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED,,AND THEY WONDER WHY PEOPLE HAVE NO RESPECT FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT!!! HAVE LOTS OF COPS IN THE FAMILY AND NONE OF THEM HAVE ACTED AS IGNORANT AS THIS.. GIVE ME A PETITION I’LL SIGN IT TO FIRE HIM!!! FOLKS SHOULD REMEBER KARMA IS A BIT%*!!!
From what I could see, my opinion is that the OHP officer let his anger and ego take control of the situation. I’m guessing anger comes up quite a bit in that line of work,but I was under the impression that the people chosen for those positions were chosen for their ability to perform the job under a variety of stressful situations, and not let anger, ego or any other personal feelings get in the way of doing that. Maybe the officer needs a vacation, or a refresher course on how to separate personal feelings from doing his job. However, I don’t think the EMT was void of anger or ego either, brought on in response to the trooper’s attitude I’m sure, but EMT should still be held to same job standards, while not letting officer get away with such behavior. I’m guessing there is procedure for such situations which wasn’t followed. I don’t understand the harm in admitting a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes.
If he keeps his job he needs retraining. His ego is way out of control and he needs to be taken down a peg.
If I was a citizen I would not want to assume the risk of him being on the street/job.
This is totally outrageous! That trooper should be fired. I don’t see where the paramedic was at fault anywhere. The trooper was out of line & also needs to attend anger management classes. The paramedic should be commended for trying to take care of his patient. What if the patient had died because of the delay in treatment? Whether the trooper knew there was a patient or not, he shouldn’t have reacted that way. I am appauled to have a person like this that is supposed to be protecting us in OK. I hope he is not allowed to remain a patrolman, he is dangerous.
Put yourself in the position of the police officer. First he pulls over the ambulance for running the red light. Emergency vehicles such as an ambulances are NOT allowed to go over the speed limit in the first place and must obey all traffic laws.
When the officer tried to talk to the driver, who was entirely responsible for obeying the laws and in control of the vehicle, the supervisor jumps out of the back of the ambulance and tried to run the situation. The supervisor should have backed off and allowed the officer to do his job. After the driver had been reprimanded, then the supervisor should have approached the officer.
All the while “concerned citizens” are gathering around this lone officer, who by this time has lost his control of the situation. From then it exacerbated into what you saw.
I don’t know about you, but with all the screaming and yelling from the bystanders, and their persistance in stepping into the conflict, I couldn’t understand 80% of what everyone was yelling, all at the same time.
Personally, I wouldn’t have wanted to have been that officer, with that antagonistic attitute from everyone surrounding him.
The driver was polite and obeyed the officer, and from there it should have been a simple offense, but the whole pot got stirred up by others who had no business in the situation, and should have backed off.
NO DOUBT ABOUT IT FIRE THE POLICE OFFICER -he should never be in this job -what a poor example he is to other policeman who aleady have problems
Up to the time I saw this video, I gave the officer the benefit of the doubt. I am apalled. I am angry on behalf of the family whose loved one sat in an ambulance during a power trip. OHP deserves every PR nightmare they have for not firing him immediately.
The trooper was TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL….and showed a COMPLETE DISREGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE. He should LOSE HIS BADGE and his JOB….As a retired Para-Medic I can say that sometimes it is better NOT to RUN LIGHTS AND SIREN due to the added stress it may cause the patient. The medic clearley stated, numerous times, he was transporting a patient to the hospital…as did the patients husband….The Trooper is the one who escalated the whole situation, which can clearly be seen from the dash cam. He is a very poor representitive of our revered State Troopers…and has tarnished the badge he wears.. Thankfully the female patient did not die…but the Trooper should be arrested for ATTEMPTED MURDER…by not allowing the ambulance to proceed immediately to the hospital..I just wonder how he would have reacted had it been his wife or mother in the ambulance….He didn’t care one bit about the female patient’s health and well being!!…All he wanted to to was have his “hissy fit” and he didn’t care one iota about anything except being a BULLY WITH A BADGE and a COMPLETE JERK!! HE SHOULD BE FIRED…PERIOD!!
FIRE THE OHP!
He not only made a fool of himself, he made a fool of the entire OHP. And of Oklahoma. He was abusive and completely out of line. And if his behavior is an example of OHP professionalism, we need to replace the entire force. One might also question white on black violence.
The EMT acted quite professionally until he was physically assaulted. Only then did he attempt to defend himself against the armed patrolman.
If the OHP was traveling to a situation urgent enough to justify lights and siren, why did he take the time to turn around and come back? By doing so, he jeopardized both the patient in the ambulance and whoever was involved in the OHP call as well.
I would question the emergent nature of the OHP call. Where was he going and did the situation justify the excessive speed, the light, and the sirem?
I doubt it. Probably just a cop showing off.
FIRE THE OHP!
you all keep saying the officer should of never stopped the ambulance and put the patent in peril well your all wrong if the driver would of just pulled over since they were not running lights and siren and let the officer go by which would of been what 10 seconds and they could of went on there way with out any further dealings with the officer so in reality the driver was the one that put the patent in peril not the officer for not yielding to the officer who was running lights and siren