Police officers are typically the ones saving patients. But over the weekend at Staten Island, N.Y.-based Richmond University Medical Center, the roles were reversed.
On the morning of Aug. 28, 36-year-old Dante Martin was admitted to the hospital for treatment after he'd been arrested on charges of criminal possession of a weapon, according to SILive.com.
Suddenly, Mr. Martin attacked a female police officer who was guarding him.
Rafael Muniz, a 42-year-old patient receiving treatment for an infected hand, heard cries from his hospital room, according to ABC 7. He ran into the room and found Mr. Martin on top of the officer, his hand pulling her gun from its holster.
Mr. Muniz said he quickly intervened, grabbing Mr. Martin's arm. "I said, 'You don't have to do this. Just let it go, bro,'" Mr. Muniz said, according to SILive.com. "He looked at me and said, 'But my finger is on the trigger.'" After what Mr. Muniz called a "moment of clarity," he said Mr. Martin removed his finger.
Other officers rushed in and a few hours later, Mr. Martin was arrested on charges of attempted murder, assault, criminal possession of a weapon, attempted escape, resisting arrest and robbery.
The officer's only wounds included a punch to the stomach and cut hands.
Mr. Muniz will be discharged from Richmond University Medical Center Aug. 29.
"It felt like it went on for minutes, but it all happened so fast. I'm just glad nothing happened," Mr. Muniz said, according to SILive.com.'
*Editor's note: In the original post, Mr. Martin was incorrectly listed as Mr. Muniz in the sixth paragraph. The article was updated Aug. 30.
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