Footage shows commotion inside vehicle in Massachusetts as desperate woman in passenger seat tries to awaken man
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is facing fierce questions after a video that appeared to show a man falling unconscious during an arrest while clutching a small child went viral, and officials accused the man of faking a medical emergency to stop the arrest of his wife.
The footage, obtained by the Boston Globe, shows a frantic commotion inside a vehicle in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, on Thursday. A desperate woman in the passenger seat tries to awaken the man in the driver’s seat, with a crying child in the middle. People can be heard shouting: “He’s having a seizure.” An officer can be seen trying to pull the passengers from the vehicle, while a Fitchburg police officer orders the crowd to “back up” repeatedly.
“They’re trying to rip the baby out of [his] hand,” another bystander says.
ICE said the video did not accurately represent the situation. Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary at the US Department of Homeland Security, said on social media that emergency medical personnel at the scene “found no legitimate medical episode” and the family refused medical care. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in a statement on social media wrote: “Imagine FAKING a seizure to help a criminal escape justice.”
