TITUSVILLE, Fla. --
Authorities said a gunman shot a Titusville man Monday, but the victim started punching firefighters who were trying to help him.
Antwan Hair was handcuffed to a stretcher as he was taken away to the hospital. Just moments earlier as fire-medics were trying to help him; he punched two of them. One firefighter in the face and the other in the neck.
Firefighters said that they rarely have to restrain the victim of a crime.
"Usually if they will put up a fight it's because of a head injury or something that they are not in control of. This doesn't appear to be the case. It appears there were other circumstances there that made him uncooperative and combative," said Division Chief Scott Gaenicke of the Titusville Fire Department.
Police said Antwan Hair had gone over to a home on Palmetto Street and got into a fight with another man outside. That man pulled out a gun and shot Hair in the pelvis.
"We have a pretty good idea who he was involved with, but we don't have any firm information yet," said Gaenicke.
Crime scene investigators sifted through the dirt to find bullet fragments, while detectives tried to convince eyewitnesses to tell them what happened.
Antwan Hair has a lengthy criminal record and has been arrested on battery charges as recently as last September, but always manages to end up back on the streets.
"He has a pretty extensive criminal history. He has been arrested before. Any number of things could have triggered him to hit the firefighters," said Commander Stuart Otto of the Titusville Police Department.
Hair is in stable condition at Holmes Regional Medical Center. Police said they were hoping Antwan Hair will tell them who fired the shot into his pelvis, but they said they wouldn't be surprised if he kept quiet.
The firefighters haven't decided if they are going to press charges.
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