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NYC EMTs, paramedics: We are under attack
Oren Barzilay, head of EMS Local 2507, says it is ‘mind boggling’ for first responders to be exposed to violence in New York City.
A New York City man who repeatedly stabbed an EMT in the back of an ambulance was indicted on charges for attempted murder and assault on Monday, according to the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Felon Rudy Garcia, 48, became agitated when 25-year-old EMT Julia Fatum “asked [him] to stop” after he “threw a gum wrapper” at her when the ambulance pulled into the Mount Sinai West Hospital bay around 8:20 p.m. on July 19, Bragg’s office said in a press release.
Garcia allegedly screamed, “F— you!’ before he “pulled a large knife out of his sock and stabbed [Fatum]” once in her left forearm, once on the left side of her chest and four times to her left thigh, prosecutor Joseph Abrams wrote in his now-unsealed indictment.
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Julia Fatum, 25, required stitches to her chest and emergency surgery on her thigh. She will need further surgeries to repair nerve damage in her legs. (Barry Williams/NY Daily News via Getty Images)
The ambulance driver was unable to help his fellow EMT — she had the keys locking the back portion of the vehicle from the cab.
When Fatum stumbled out of the vehicle to escape and the attack spilled outside, an onlooker captured the dramatic incident on footage obtained by the New York Post.
“I don’t know what happened,” Garcia could be heard saying as first responders told him to “back off” after the senseless assault.
“First responders work on the front lines every day to serve the City of New York. As alleged, Rudy Garcia viciously attacked an EMT who was doing her job and coming to his aid,” Bragg wrote in his press release. “I’m grateful for the swift action of other members of the Mount Sinai Health System and the NYPD. My thoughts are with the victim as she continues to recover and heal.”
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Julia Fatum was stabbed by Rudy Garcia as she was transporting him to the hospital on July 19, 2023, authorities said. (Peter Gerber)
Garcia pleaded not guilty to second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault and second-degree assault charges in court on Monday, the New York Post reported. Unable to post $500,000 cash bail ordered upon his arrest, the accused assailant wore a blue mask and a beige jail uniform.
Fatum’s chest wound required stitches, her leg required emergency surgery, and she underwent surgeries for nerve damage in her left arm, per the DA’s office. She was released from the hospital on July 26 to a crowd of cheering fellow emergency responders.
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According to the indictment, she is “still suffering from loss of function in her left hand,” and may not regain its full use for months.
After he was hospitalized, Garcia allegedly told police that he thought the EMTs who picked him up for his heart-related concern were “fake” and had “kidnapped him.”
Since the attack, a GoFundMe initiative has raised nearly $45,000 to support the Mount Sinai emergency responder while she is unable to work.
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Garcia allegedly yelled, “F— you!” before repeatedly stabbing Fatum in an attack that spilled out from the ambulance onto the street. (Peter Gerber)
Fatum’s mother, Cara Fatum-Grant, bemoaned New York’s bail reform laws in a Facebook post last month, pointing out that Garcia had nine prior arrests and asking policymakers, “How is your bail reform working?”
The NYPD confirmed Garcia’s priors in a previous interview with Fox News Digital. Most recently, they said, he was charged with theft of services and criminal possession of a weapon on June 10 when he was caught evading subway fares at the corner of Havens Place and Atlantic Avenue using the emergency exit.
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When he was arrested, the department told Fox, he had a knife in his pocket.
Garcia has two previous felony convictions — one for headbutting a police officer trying to arrest him for allegedly hitting his sister in 2017, and another for robbery. He has also accrued charges for carrying a box cutter, menacing and drug possession.
His next court date is scheduled for Oct. 30.
Christina Coulter is a U.S. and World reporter for Fox News Digital. Email story tips to [email protected].