BRADENTON, Fla. — Manatee County Officials are praising two EMS first responders after the driver of a car pulled a gun on them while assessing his vital signs.
The incident started on May 31 as Manatee County EMS first responders were attending to a disoriented driver in a parked car on the 2600 block of 53rd Avenue in Bradenton. The driver was unresponsive inside the vehicle on the road. Manatee Paramedic Joe Savasta broke the back window of the driver’s car, got into the car, put the car in park, and took the keys out of the vehicle.
According to Manatee County officials, fellow paramedic Carlos Santos was attending to the man when he pulled a handgun and pointed it at them. The EMTs and officers at the scene immediately worked to restrain the man and pull the handgun out of his hand. Manatee County Sheriff’s Deputies took the gun and the driver was immediately taken into custody at the scene.
Body camera video from the sheriff’s deputies and the Ambulance show exactly what happened and can be seen below. Both Santos and Savasta were awarded for their actions that day.
