A paramedic says a man jumped him and stole his wallet as he was taking a patient into the emergency room at George Washington University Hospital.
Tim Campbell has been a firefighter and paramedic for 34 years. He says he's seen a lot - but nothing quite like what happened Sunday.
"When you go into a hospital there's a certain serenity about it that you feel safe and I was absolutely shocked that this happened on the grounds of a hospital," Campbell said.
He said he was pushing a patient on a stretcher into the emergency room when a man wearing only red boxer shorts and red socks went up to him.
He said the man pushed and shoved him. Then, Campbell realized the suspect took his wallet.
"I felt the wallet come out as I was being tripped and shoved," he said.
He yelled, "Stop the guy in the red shorts!"
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A security officer saw the suspect trip and picked up Campbell's wallet. But the suspect kept on running.
In an apparent attempt to escape, the suspect went into the emergency room and flopped down naked on a stretcher like a patient.
Court documents said the suspect, 49-year-old David Lucas, told police he had smoked a joint dipped in PCP, which caused him to "fall out."
Lucas said he woke up in the hospital with no clothes on and was told he was under arrest, the documents said.
"I think that all my brothers and sisters in EMS and the fire service need to be more alert 24-7 no matter how safe they may feel," Campbell said.
"Nobody's immune from being the victim. I'm glad we were able to make a quick arrest in that case," D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham said.
Lucas is in jail pending a court hearing on Thursday.
