WASHINGTON — An injured D.C. police officer waited in vain for an ambulance to arrive Tuesday evening, the latest in a string of delayed responses by the troubled fire department.
The officer was injured during an arrest on 4th Street near Rhode Island Avenue in Northeast D.C.
But despite the call for an ambulance, none ever arrived. D.C. Fire and EMS confirms no transport units were available at that time, which was about 6:30 p.m.
According to Fox 5, the injured officer waited more than 30 minutes.
Eventually, a police cruiser took the injured officer to Providence Hospital.
It is unclear what injuries the officer has or if they were complicated by the delay.
Two years ago a city officer had to wait 15 minutes for an ambulance to arrive from Prince George’s County after he was seriously injured in a hit-and-run crash. Similar problems have continued to plague the fire department ever since.
Last week, a stabbing victim waited 40 minutes for an ambulance in Southeast D.C. And a paramedic was dispatched to aid a choking toddler from a mile away even though a paramedic was available just three blocks away.
