18/06/2012

Ambulance Attacked With Patient Inside

An ambulance had to be removed from service after its crew were attacked by about 20 teenagers.

The crowd surrounded the ambulance and two people got in the front of the vehicle.

More than £500 worth of damage was caused to the emergency vehicle in the attack, which took place in Poleglass, west Belfast, on Saturday evening.

The crew had been responding to an emergency callout and had to protect their patient from the attackers.

Two young people were arrested when the police arrived.

An ambulance spokesman said that although this kind of attack has happened before, the crew were "shaken" due to the young age of the large crowd.

John McPoland of the Ambulance Service said: "I was speaking with the crew this morning and obviously they were very shaken. They were aware that the people were of a pretty young age. That's unusual. It's usually people who are in their late teens or early 20s. These were all mid-teens and it was just the sheer number of the young people who were there which was the most worrying aspect."

(NE)

Related Northern Ireland News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

23 March 2017
Two People Escape Injury After Light Aircraft Crash
Two people have escaped injury after a light aircraft incident in Co Down. Emergency services were alerted to an airfield in Newtownards at around 11.15am on Thursday, 23 March. A spokesperson from the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) said: "One Rapid Response Vehicle and one A&E crew attended.
20 April 2015
Ambulance Crew Assaulted In Co Antrim
A man has been arrested after an ambulance crew were attacked in Greenisland, Co Antrim. Their ambulance and equipment were also damaged during the incident which occurred in the Knockleigh Drive area on Sunday. The man has previously attacked a woman before attacking members of the ambulance crew. The man is currently being detained by police.
20 November 2018
Three Young People Knocked Down In Belfast Crash
Three young people have been knocked down at a roundabout on the Ormeau Road in Belfast. Police and four ambulance crews attended the scene near Rosetta Park during rush hour this morning, Tuesday 20 November. A rapid response paramedic was also tasked to the incident.
15 May 2012
One Person Injured In Ballymena Crash
One person has been seriously injured in a road traffic crash in Ballymena. A passing ambulance crew discovered the collision at Lisnevanagh Road at around 1.30pm. The road is currently closed and diversions have been put in place.
01 April 2008
Ambulance Crew Involved In M1 Crash
An ambulance crew has been involved in a crash in Belfast as they were attempting to resuscitate a young baby on the M1 motorway. The crew had been flagged down on Kennedy Way to help an infant who had stopped breathing, when a lorry collided with the ambulance at 11am today. The lorry was approaching the Broadway roundabout.