Utah police officer who dragged screaming nurse is fired

The Utah police officer who was filmed forcibly arresting a nurse who refused to let officers take a blood sample from an unconscious patient has been fired, The Associated Press reported Tuesday.

A Salt Lake City Police spokesman told the AP that police chief Mike Brown decided to fire the officer on Tuesday after an investigation into the incident.

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The officer, Detective Jeff Payne, was seen on film dragging a crying nurse out of the University of Utah Medical Center in Salt Lake City after she prevented law enforcement from taking blood from an unconscious patient.

The nurse, Alex Wubbels, told officers they needed a warrant, the patient’s consent or for police to arrest the patient in order to draw blood.

Payne told Wubbels he would “leave with blood in vials or body in tow” before placing her in handcuffs and dragging her out of the hospital.

The hospital banned law enforcement from interacting directly with nurses after the footage appeared.

Payne was also fired from his job as a paramedic.

Both the Salt Lake City mayor and police chief apologized for the incident.