HollyMatkinChattanooga, TN – A hospital nurse was tased by Chattanooga police on Apr. 26, after he refused to leave the facility, and began fighting with police (video below).
Officers were called to the emergency room at the Erlanger Hospital at 9:30 p.m., after 42-year-old Roger Davis, an Erlanger nurse, caused a disturbance with staff members regarding the care his mother was receiving at the hospital, WTVC reported.
Officer Sarah Rogers and her partner, referred to as “Officer Woody,” were told that medical staff and the hospital’s vice president had asked Davis to leave, but he refused, ABC News reported.
The officers made contact with Davis, who was yelling in the emergency room area. Officer Rogers asked him to lower her voice, but Davis told her that he was talking with his father, and that he would continue to do so.
Officer Rogers then told him that if he chose to continue yelling, she would ask him to leave the hospital.
“Then do it,” Davis retorted, according to his arrest affidavit.
Officer Rogers told him to leave, but Davis refused to move, and instead stared the officer down.
Ethan Raymond, who was also at the hospital at the time of the altercation, took out his cell phone to record the confrontation that ensued, WTVC reported.
“Outside. Now,” Officer Rogers was heard telling Davis in the video.
“At this point I placed my hand on his arm to escort him out the door,” Officer Rogers said in the arrest affidavit. “As I did this, Mr. Davis started swinging his arms in an attempt to keep me from making him leave.”
The officers then attempted to take Davis into custody, but he continued to throw punches, and struck Officer Woody in the face, “busting his lip,” Officer Rogers said.
Davis’ father tried to diffuse the situation to no avail, the video showed.
“Tase him!” Officer Woody said repeatedly, as the scuffle escalated.
Officer Rogers held the Taser in her right hand, and continued to try to subdue the irate man with verbal commands.
“Stop!” she directed Davis. “Put your hands behind your back now!”
After repeated warnings, Officer Rogers deployed the Taser, and Davis fell to the ground.
He refused to roll onto his stomach, but the officers were able to take him into custody.
After a medical evaluation, Davis was taken to the Hamilton County jail, where he was charged with resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and two counts of assault, WTVC reported.
Erlanger hospital refused to provide details regarding Davis’ employment status, but did issue a statement thanking the officers for their assistance.
“Erlanger would like to thank our associates, security and the Chattanooga Police Department for containing the situation that occurred on the evening of April 26 and ensuring the safety of our patients, visitors and staff,” hospital spokesperson Jennifer Tittsworth said, according to WTVC. “Because of their diligence, patient care in the emergency department was in no way impacted as a result of this isolated incident.”
Conversely, Raymond told WTVC that he felt that Officer Rogers wanted “to pick a fight” with Davis.
“She was way out of line,” Raymond said. “I just know what I saw was the cop that’s supposed to diffuse it and instead she was the aggressor from what I saw.”
Raymond also claimed that Davis never punched Officer Woody.
“It’s the cop who was hitting him in the face,” he claimed. “He was trying to leave, but the woman kept stopping him.”
“I think she should be held accountable for it, not him,” Raymond added. “He shouldn’t be in jail for it.”
Chattanooga police officials said they were investigating the incident to ensure policies were followed, WTVC reported.
You can watch the officers’ altercation with the irate nurse in the video below: