By Laura French
AUSTIN, Texas — A lawsuit filed in Texas alleges an EMT for a private ambulance service sexually assaulted a patient less than a year after previous similar arrests.
The lawsuit filed against Eduardo Garcia, an EMT for City Ambulance, and the ambulance service’s owner, Mohamed Massoud, claims Garcia made sexual comments toward the patient while she was strapped on a stretcher in an ambulance, masturbated over her and sexually assaulted her, according to CBS Austin. The lawsuit also states Garcia removed his face mask during the assault, which reportedly occurred on April 2, 2020.
The woman asked staff to call 911 once the ambulance arrived at the hospital, according to the lawsuit. An affidavit states that a coworker said Garcia told him details about the sexual assault, and police said Garcia’s DNA matched material collected from the victim.
Garcia was arrested and charged with sexual assault, and the Texas Department of State Health Services placed Garcia on an emergency suspension.
The lawsuit states that Garcia had previously been arrested on similar charges twice in the months prior to the April incident.
The Alice-Echo News Journal reported in September 2019 that Garcia was arrested for official oppression after a 17-year-old patient accused him of making sexual comments to her during transport. The News Journal also reported in November 2019 that Garcia was arrested for allegedly making sexual comments to a 14-year-old girl in an ambulance and showing her inappropriate pictures on his phone; Garcia was charged with official oppression and indecency with a child by sexual contact in the November incident.