US cop who arrested nurse Alex Wubbels gets fired from paramedic job

The US cop who arrested a nurse for refusing to draw blood from an unconscious patient has been fired from his paramedic job. Salt Lake City police detective Jeff Payne was heard in another video that he could retaliate against the University of Utah Hospital for the incident.

Payne has made headlines worldwide when the body cam footage of him arresting nurse Alex Wubbels was shared online. On July 26, a frustrated Payne resorted to intimidating Wubbels and then putting her in handcuffs when she refused to draw blood from an unconscious patient as it was against hospital policy.

The upsetting footage, which shows Wubbels screaming for help while Payne was arresting her, was released by Wubbel’s legal camp last week. There was another body cam footage, however, one that shows Payne remarking to another officer that he could retaliate against the hospital.

“I wonder how this will affect my Gold Cross job. I bring patients here,” he is heard telling another officer in the footage. He was referring to his other job at Gold Cross Ambulance. “I’ll bring them all the transients and take good patients elsewhere.”

On Tuesday, Gold Cross Ambulance released a statement to inform that it has terminated Payne as its part-time paramedic effective immediately. It said that although he was not working for the company at the time of the incident, his remarks about retaliating and transporting patients were inappropriate.

Gold Cross initially allowed Payne to remain on his job even after it began an internal investigation following the video’s release. Gold Cross President Mike Moffit told the Salt Lake Tribune that Payne violated “several company policies and left a poor image of the company,” and hence he was terminated.

Payne had been with the emergency transport service since 1983 as a full-time emergency medical technician before becoming a paramedic. He continued his paramedic job as a part-timer when he eventually became a police officer.

Meanwhile, the Salt Lake Police Department has placed Payne on paid leave while an internal investigation is ongoing. He has also been removed from the department’s blood draw program, which has officers obtaining blood samples from drivers in suspected drunk-driving and fatal car crashes.

The department also defended not placing Payne on leave immediately after the July 26 incident. Spokeswoman Christina Judd said that it does not have a rule that requires officers be placed on leave when an internal investigation begins. Administrative leave, which Payne has been put on, is mandatory when a criminal investigation has begun.

Watch Police Detective Jeff Payne arresting nurse Alex Wubbels

Watch Payne’s body cam footage