By Katrina Webber
KSAT
SAN ANTONIO — An incident involving a Northwest side man who police said pointed a gun at paramedics trying to help him has others in the lifesaving business reflecting on the dangers of the job.
San Antonio police arrested James Moore, 68, on Wednesday in connection with the Feb. 9 incident. He’s being held in the Bexar County Jail on a charge of aggravated assault of a public servant.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Moore, who uses an oxygen tank, called 911 when he began having medical trouble in his home in the 8700 block of Timber Lodge Street.
Two paramedics from nearby San Antonio Fire Station #41 responded and, after treating Moore, recommended that he be transported to a hospital, the affidavit said. However, Moore refused.
The paramedics told police when they began sharing their concerns with Moore’s son, Moore pulled a gun from his sofa, held it to the stomach of one of the medics and, using expletives, ordered them to leave.
Police negotiators later arrived on the scene and talked Moore into leaving his home, the affidavit said.
“We will see that. The biggest one that comes to mind, in general, of this kind of scenario, is when you respond to domestic violence calls,” said Rusty Wood, field training officer for Acadian Ambulance, referring to violent patients.
Acadian contracts with Bexar County and other small cities locally to handle 911 calls and was not involved in the gun incident.
Wood said his company stresses safety for paramedics as a priority and devotes a good deal of training to driving that message home.
“If there is a crime scene or if there is any kind of violence going on,” Wood said, “then we actually ask that the responding police department go in first.”
Wood said outside dangers are a regular part of the job, although he’s not aware of any incidents locally involving gun threats or injuries to Acadian’s paramedics.
Two days after the reported incident involving SAFD paramedics, detectives called Moore, who admitted to everything, the affidavit said.
Moore reportedly told detectives he felt the paramedics were violating his rights by not leaving his home, and that he had the right to remove them at gunpoint.
Republished with permission from KSAT.com