Attacked: Brooklyn Hospital EMTs Robbed At Gunpoint

Two Brooklyn Hospital EMTs were robbed at gunpoint when they responded to a fake 911 call at a New York City Housing Authority apartment building, officials and sources said Tuesday.

The EMTs were taking the elevator in a Sackman Street building — part of the Seth Low Houses — near Belmont Avenue in Brownsville about 11 p.m. Monday when a man stepped into the elevator as it reached the 11th floor and pulled a gun on them.

The gunman swiped their medical bag and ran off, officials said. The bag was later found inside the building, but the EMTs’ tablet and radio that linked them to the city’s 911 dispatch system was missing.

Neither EMT was harmed. The two work for Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center in Brooklyn, but also respond to 911 calls that city medics respond to, officials said.

The call that sent them to the Seth Low Houses turned out to be a false alarm, but it was not immediately clear if it was directly linked to the robbery, sources with knowledge of the case said.

Brooklyn Hospital EMTs – Not Only Victims

Violence against EMS personnel is a global issue. Research is desperately needed to determine why the number of incidents is so high and what can be done to better prevent harm to those who risk their lives to help others.

We’ve long known EMS personnel face a risk of occupational fatality similar to those of police and firefighters and a risk of nonfatal injury that’s much higher.