Two Glendale firefighters have been suspended without pay for punching a patient and cursing at him, his family and neighbors during an October medical call.
Capt. Sean Alford was suspended for or two days and Firefighter Danny Padilla for one day after an administrative investigation determined the men used excessive force, according to The Arizona Republic.
Glendale Fire Chief Mark Burdick, who apologized during a press conference, said he holds his firefighters to a high standard.
He added that he chose suspension over firing because neither had been trained to deal with violent patients. That also has changed as crews are being instructed how to handle such incidents.
"I don't want firefighters to strike a patient," Burdick said. "I wanted to send a message that this won't be tolerated."
The two struck the patient at least five times while he was strapped to a cot. Firefighters also yelled and cursed at neighbors who were filming the incident telling them they also were going to jail.
A man can be heard saying he has a constitutional right to record the incident.
Charges against the patient and his father were dismissed by the local state's attorneys office.
"I've been a fire chief for 13 years and I've never had an incident like this," Burdick told reporters. "We had never trained (Alford and Padilla) on what to do if they are assaulted, and I own that."
