Hospital Waiting Room Turns Into a Police Call
A Florida man is accused of turning a hospital waiting room into the kind of scene nobody wants while seeking medical care. According to the officer’s account cited by the New York Post, 51-year-old Ronald Jeffery Johnson was yelling at medical staff at Broward Health Medical Center when a Fort Lauderdale Police officer was called in. The August 29 arrest report described Johnson, listed as 5 feet 8 inches tall and 240 pounds, as showing “intentional, aggressive and physical behavior.” The officer wrote that Johnson was yelling from the opposite side of the registration desk, causing a breach of peace in the waiting room and creating fear among nearby patients. That is not exactly the recommended way to handle hospital paperwork, unless the goal is to leave with a criminal case instead of discharge instructions.
Officer Says Johnson Wanted a Fight
The officer’s report says the situation did not stay verbal for long. According to the account, a physical altercation followed after Johnson initially grabbed the officer in an attempt to fight him and resisted efforts to bring him under control. The report also says Johnson charged at the officer while yelling, “I want to fight you.” That is one of those statements prosecutors probably do not mind seeing written down in an arrest report. The officer was injured during the encounter, suffering a laceration to his left hand that required stitches. The original report also pointed to a striking contrast between an older mugshot from a previous arrest and Johnson’s booking photo after this latest arrest, which is why the story has drawn attention online.
Charges Filed in Broward County
Johnson was booked into the Broward Sheriff’s Office Main Jail, according to the Post. The listed charges were aggravated battery on an officer, resisting an officer with violence, assault on an officer, and disorderly conduct. Those are serious charges, especially when the alleged conduct involves a police officer responding to a disturbance inside a medical center where patients and staff should not have to wonder whether the waiting room is about to become a boxing ring. The report also said Johnson was wanted in Georgia at the time for failure to appear on charges of making terroristic threats. As always, Johnson is accused at this stage, and the case will have to move through the legal process, but the police account lays out a messy and avoidable situation from start to finish.
WE’D LOVE TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS! PLEASE COMMENT BELOW.
JIMMY
Find more articles like this at steadfastandloyal.com.
