The mother of a Manhattan EMT who was stabbed on the job is demanding answers from the state after a New York man with numerous arrests allegedly attacked her.
According to Fox News Digital, 25-year-old Julia Fatum was stabbed six times in an ambulance on July 19, while taking a mentally disturbed man with a lengthy violent criminal record to the hospital. The victim, identified as Rudolph Garcia, 48, is accused of stabbing the victim in the stomach, leg, and arm with a kitchen knife.
“I don’t know what happened,” Garcia reportedly said after the stabbing.
Following the incident, the victim’s mother, Cara Fatum-Gran, took to Facebook to slam the state for allowing a convicted felon out on bail.
“Fact: Roudolph [sic] “Rudy” Garcia, 48 of Bronx NY has eight prior arrests, including criminal possession of a weapon, assault, menacing with a weapon, drugs, burglary & assault on a police officer,” she wrote on July 20.
“He has been released back into civilization 8 times. New York has failed its people. How is your bail reform working????”
Police confirmed that the suspect has nine prior incarcerations in New York.
On Wednesday, NYPD told Fox News Digital that on On June 10, Garcia was charged with theft of services and criminal possession of a weapon when he was arrested creeping onto the subway at Havens Place and Atlantic Avenue with a knife in his pocket.
New York Post reports that Garcia was arrested in 2017 for head butting a police officer who tried to help Garcia’s sister, who he also head butted. He was also charged with robbery, carrying a box cutter and drug possession.
In the latest incident, police arrested Garcia and charged him with criminal weapon possession, assault, obstruction of governmental administration. At his arraignment July 21, prosecutors reportedly said that Fatum “suffered significant blood loss,” underwent surgery and will need additional surgeries.
CBS New York reports that Fatum was released from the hospital Wednesday. She was seen smiling and waving at reporters as she exited the hospital in a wheelchair.
“We’re just ready to get her home and up and moving again,” Cara Fatum-Grant said.
Fellow EMTs are glad Fatum will recover but there are still concerns about future violence happening to other EMTs since they have “no protection against attacks.”
“We feel unsafe. Especially when we’re just doing our jobs trying to treat the sick and injured,” NYU Langone EMT Bryan Garcia told CBS New York.
In response, Mayor Eric Adams promised to “sit down with their union” and discuss the situation, adding that, “for the most part, I think we do a good job.”
Meanwhile, donors have given over $42,000 to a GoFundMe page set up for Fatum to help with expenses while she can’t work.
“If this makes a difference in the safety of her fellow EMTs, I know that she would do it all over again,” Fatum-Grant said. “I can’t believe there’s so many people here that can see the value in her. And I hope it makes a difference.”
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[Feature Photo: Julia Fatum/Facebook]
