Nurse Beaten While Handling COVID-19 Patient In Garut, Perpetrator Arrested

Head of Criminal Investigation Unit of the Garut Police, AKP Dede Sopandi (ANTARA)

GARUT - Police arrested a young man who beat a nurse at Pameungpeuk Health Center, Garut Regency, West Java while treating a COVID-19 patient.

"The perpetrator is subject to Article 351 with a maximum threat of two years and eight months (jail), we will continue to process this case", said Head of Criminal Investigation Unit of the Garut Police, AKP Dede Sopandi, quoted by Antara, Friday, June 25.

AKP Dede said the case of mistreatment of a nurse by a family member of a patient exposed to COVID-19 initials MR (24) occurred at the Pameungpeuk Health Center, Wednesday, June 23 night.

The perpetrator, he said, abused the health worker at the Health Center because she was annoyed at the slow handling of the victim's father.

"The delay caused the perpetrator to spontaneously beat the victim", he said.

After doing the action, the perpetrator immediately fled. Officers from the Pameungpeuk Police and Garut Police immediately investigated by examining the victims and witnesses.

After identifying the perpetrators, said AKP Dede, several members arrested the perpetrator who was hiding in the house of one of his family members, Thursday night, June 24. The perpetrators were then taken to the Pameungpeuk Police Headquarters to undergo a legal examination.

"We found the perpetrator at the house of one of his family members on Thursday night. Currently, the perpetrator is being held at the police station for further processing according to the applicable law", added AKP Dede.

The violent action against a nurse at the Pameungpeuk Health Center was recorded by a surveillance camera installed at the health center and spread to the wider community through the WhatsApp application.

The 24-second video shows a nurse dressed in personal protective equipment handling a patient infected with COVID-19 who was about to lie down in bed.

Someone from the patient's family suddenly hit the nurse with his bare hands so that someone else broke up, then the perpetrator walked away.