2 EMTs were bitten, kicked, and struck while responding to call at Boston’s Caribbean festival, union says

Two Boston EMTs were assaulted while treating a patient at Boston’s Caribbean Carnival on Saturday, public safety officials said.

The EMTs were “bitten, kicked in the head, and struck by thrown objects,” their union said in a press release.

“This behavior cannot be tolerated, accepted, or disregarded,” the EMS division of the Boston Police Patrolmen Association said in the release.

Around 3:20 p.m., Boston police responded to a report of an assault and battery at Boston Medical Center, the Boston Police Department said. The victims were EMTs with Boston Emergency Medical Services who said they were assaulted by a patient while providing medical care to them near 4 Cheney St.

The union called on Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden to “prosecute these individuals to the fullest extent of the law.”

The EMTs sustained minor injuries, police said.

“Our members put themselves in difficult and unpredictable situations every day to care for the people of Boston. There is no place for violence against our members,” Boston EMS said in a statement.

“Our members deserve … to do this work safely and return home to their families at the end of every shift,” Jason Yutkins, president of the BPPD-EMS Division, said in the release.

In addition to the reported violent incident, “yesterday was an extremely busy and challenging day with fewer units available than the City of Boston requires to safely meet the demand for emergency medical services,” the union said.

Organizers for the Boston Caribbean Carnival did not respond to a request for comment Sunday evening.

No arrests have been made related to the incident with the EMTs, police said. The investigation into the incident remains ongoing by police.

Between Friday and Saturday, officers made 28 arrests and issued two court summonses at the festival, police said.