Medic assaulted during medical call

A Gadsden Fire Department medic reported he was assaulted Monday afternoon by a man he was trying to treat after a report of a possible overdose.

Paramedics were called to North Fourth Place about 4:30 p.m. Monday for a medical call. A man reportedly had overdosed on Xanax ,a prescription drug used to treat anxiety and panic disorder, and was passed out in a vehicle. When medics arrived, the man’s girlfriend told them he was armed with a handgun. The 43-year-old medic told police he saw the man slumped over the steering wheel in the vehicle, unresponsive.

When the medics opened the car door to render aid, the man suddenly began to struggle. He threatened to kill them, and he got back into the drivers seat and kicked the car door.

The injured medic was holding the door, and, when the suspect kicked it, the door caused a 5-inch scratch across his abdomen.

The man, a 29-year-old from Anniston, was able to start the vehicle and drive away, swerving around the fire truck.

He fled to the 400 block of Duncan Street, where officers used a Taser to subdue him. Officers discovered two guns — a Universal MI 30 Carbine semi-automatic rifle and a Smith & Wesson .38 Special — in the vehicle. The two guns had been reported stolen in Rainbow City.

The injured medic was taken to a local hospital and treated with antibiotic ointment.