SAN FRANCISCO — A veteran paramedic faces three felony charges after allegedly choking a patient who was threatening to die by suicide last May.
The San Francisco Examiner reported that 11-year paramedic veteran Raymond Lee, who retired from the San Francisco Fire Department Friday after being placed on desk duty after the incident, can allegedly be seen on police body cam footage placing his hand on the agitated patient’s throat as she was transported to a mental health facility.
Lee is also accused of breaking the patient’s arm in three places.
The police officer who was with Lee during the incident, rookie Officer Michael Filamor, was fired in January for allegedly covering up for Lee by muting his body camera.
“You muted your body worn camera without cause,” San Francisco Police Department Chief Bill Scott wrote in a termination letter. “At one point, the paramedic choked the patient in your presence. You failed to take action and failed to report the incident.”
The mother of the patient sued the city of San Francisco after the incident, claiming Lee also “made inappropriate comments” and “grabbed her arm in such a way as to fracture her radial ulna in three places.”
Lee pleaded not guilty to three felonies, including assault under the color of authority.