EMT’s bag stolen during emergency call in Henrico, calls the act ‘un-human’
VENN
HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- In his decades as a first responder, Brian Winslett described what happened on June 15 as "un-human."
According to the Henrico County Police Division, it was around 4 a.m. when, while Winslett and his partner responded to an emergency call, their personal items were stolen from their ambulance.
The theft happened at the Canterbury Rehabilitation and Healthcare center located at 1776 Cambridge Drive.
Winslett works for the private medical transportation company Hospital to Home.
“The sheer fact that somebody would do that to an emergency vehicle at a critical moment is just- it's unfathomable," Winslett said.
He told 8News that when he and his partner got to the center, they took in the basic supplies they were told they needed. As the patient worsened, his partner went back outside to get a ventilator.
“In haste to come back in and get the patient on the ventilator, and get them moving toward the hospital, he didn’t relock the vehicle," he said. “He’s acting on instinct and trying to take care of the patient and not thinking. [That] somebody would be that low of a human to come and steal from you while you’re doing a life-saving job.”
The suspect was caught on the ambulance's camera.
Suspect in June 15 grand larceny from an ambulance in Henrico's West End. (Photos: Henrico County Police Division)
Winslett said the suspect took his special edition Grinch WOLFpak backpack -- a gift from his wife that holds sentimental value. Inside the bag were very specific cords and other medical supplies essential for the work he does. He left behind Winslett's truck keys, but estimates $300 to $400 in losses.
His partner also had supplies stolen along with their iPad, who's working with his mobile carrier to try and pin the device.
Winslett said he didn’t notice his bag was missing until he started working on filing the report for the call.
“I’ve been doing this for 40 years," Winslett said. "I’ve seen a lot and that’s probably the lowest I’ve seen out of people’s character... what if it was your mother or your father in that nursing home that I was going to get? You’re gonna steal the supplies that I need to take care of them? That’s gonna kill your parent. That’s gonna kill your loved one. What is wrong with you?”
He said he hopes the person comes forward and gives the items back.
“I hope the person gets caught and gets brought to some kind of justice. And honestly, I hope he sits down with some kind of counselor or reverend or whatever his faith may be and gets right with his god,” Winslett said.
Henrico Police tells 8News an arrest has not been made. If you have any information, they ask you contact them at 804-501-5000.
