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Ottawa paramedics say they were swarmed and attacked by a mob of men early Sunday morning in Vanier while responding to a call of an unconscious man.
The incident happened shortly after midnight and paramedics arrived at the Knights of Columbus hall on McArthur Ave. and found an unconscious man in the parking lot suffering from an apparent drug overdose.
Four other men were with the patient initially but the number quickly grew to 40 or 50, according to a paramedic supervisor who asked not to be named.
Before the paramedics could get a stretcher out of the ambulance the four men carried the patient and put him backwards on the gurny.
When paramedics tried to explain they could take care of it and attempted to turn the man around the men became belligerent.
That's when 40 to 50 people came out of the hall and surrounded the medics, who quickly locked themselves, and the patient, in the back of the ambulance.
They hit a panic button that's a direct line to police. Within two minutes police were on scene and began arresting people.
Before police arrived the men tried to break into the ambulance, the paramedic said.
ROCKED AMBULANCE
"They started assaulting the paramedics. They were kicking and rocking the ambulance. A supervisor was on scene in a car and they were doing the same to him. He had to lock his doors too," said the paramedic.
Police allowed the paramedics to get out of the back of the ambulance and into the front and told them to leave the area.
Paramedics say it's not unusual for them to attend a scene not knowing what they're getting themselves into. The incident left a young female paramedic shaken up. She had just started the job.
The 18-year-old patient was transported to hospital. The paramedics didn't suffer any serious injuries.
Ottawa police Sgt. Paul Batista, who was manning the central desk yesterday, refused to check and see if charges were laid in the melee.
The Knights of Columbus was unavailable for comment.