When a woman was struck by a vehicle at Bashford and Monument on Monday, Aug. 31, the Palisadian-Post interviewed witnesses on the scene and published an article in its Sept. 3 issue based on their statements. The accounts given by two of the young men hailed as ‘Good Samaritans’—Patrick Lawson and Dwayne Domingo—are now being refuted by Capt. Dan Rodriguez of Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) Station 69.
The Palisadian-Post printed an article on the front page of their Sept. 3 issue titled “Good Samaritans Rush to Aid Car Crash Victim.” Unfortunately, the primary sources for this article (Patrick Lawson and Dwayne Domingo) seem to have fabricated the facts and left out information we would consider more important than the accident itself. The statements made by Mr. Domingo and Mr. Lawson lead the reader to believe that they are law-abiding Good Samaritans, but nothing could be further from the truth.
The facts are: On Monday, Aug. 31 at 12:08 p.m., Rescue 69 and Truck 69 were dispatched to an “auto vs. pedestrian” at Monument and Bashford. When we arrived on scene we found an elderly woman sitting in a chair being assisted by a couple of real Good Samaritans from Huntington Estate Homes who were providing cervical immobilization for the patient.
These men answered some questions for us and then stepped back as we took over patient care. Mr. Domingo and Mr. Lawson could be seen in a small group of bystanders who had gathered, but from our observation had no interaction with the patient.
This was not a high-impact accident that would generate the sound of “a sickening crunch of metal” as Mr. Lawson contends, nor was there “blood everywhere” as Mr. Domingo states in the article.
In fact, the injuries were so minor that it prompted the paramedics on Rescue 69 to release the personnel from Truck 69. Because the injuries were so minor, the woman was not transported to a hospital.
It wasn’t until the personnel from Truck 69 left the scene that Mr. Domingo and Mr. Lawson sprung into action. They interrupted the paramedic who was continuing to gather patient information and told him, “Make sure you get the license of that Mexican driving the truck cause he probably doesn’t even have a green card.”
The paramedic told them the police will follow up with an accident report and asked them to back up and provide some space for them to work.
Mr. Lawson continued, “You ain’t a cop. You have no law enforcement authority. You can’t f…ing tell me what to do.”
Mr. Domingo stood behind Mr. Lawson backing his every word and gesture. The paramedic repeated his request for them to step back and give them some space. Mr. Lawson replied, “You’re just a f…ing fireman. Go drag your hose down the street.” His verbal assault continued with a threat: “I’ll kick your f…ing ass! If you want to come to my house on Bronson Street I’ll do it there too.”
One of the real Good Samaritans from Huntington Estate Homes who had assisted with patient care prior to our arrival witnessed the verbal assault and intervened on behalf of the paramedic. He stepped in, drawing the attention of Mr. Lawson toward himself.
Police arrived shortly after and Mr. Lawson and Mr. Domingo backed off further.
Had the paramedic put out a “firefighter needs help” call, things would have played out much differently. Truck 69 would have returned to the incident and apprehended the assailants. Police would have taken them into custody and we would have pressed charges against them.
Rather than their smiling faces on the front page of the Post we would have seen their mug shots. Every law-abiding citizen knows it is unacceptable to make verbal or physical threats against fire or law enforcement personnel.
We need to hold Mr. Lawson and Mr. Domingo accountable for their actions.
Dan Rodriguez, Captain
Fire Station 69
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