An Idaho police department thanked the ‘heroic’ nurse who was grabbed, manhandled and put in cuffs by an officer after she refused to break hospital rules.
Alex Wubbels was arrested at her workplace on July 26 after refusing to draw blood from unconscious reserve officer William Gray at the demand of a cop who had no probable cause or warrant.
‘The Rigby Police Department would like to thank the nurse involved and hospital staff for standing firm, and protecting Officer Gray’s rights as a patient and victim. Protecting the rights of others is truly a heroic act,’ the department wrote on Facebook on Friday.
Bodycam footage of Det Jeff Payne shows Wubbels refusing to draw blood from Gray whose truck was hit by a car that had been fleeing police.
An Idaho police department thanked ‘heroic’ nurse, Alex Wubbels (pictured), who was grabbed, manhandled and put in cuffs by an officer after she refused to break hospital rules
The Rigby Police Department wrote on Facebook that they would like to ‘thank the nurse involved and hospital staff for standing firm, and protecting Officer Gray’s rights as a patient and victim’. Wubbels is pictured moments before she is arrested
Wubbels was arrested at her workplace by Det Jeff Payne (left and right) on July 26 after she refused to draw blood from unconscious reserve officer William Gray at Payne’s demand
Wubbels (center) said she could sue over the ‘traumatic’ experience, but that she mostly wanted the video released in order to make sure authorities did something about it
Since Gray was not under arrest or subject to an arrest warrant, and since he could not give consent while unconscious, hospital policy forbade her from taking the blood sample.
Payne then dragged the terrified Wubbels out of the hospital in front of staff and patients. She was let go without charge after 20 minutes, but the incident left her shaken.
That, she said, is why she only released the footage this week.
‘I think this resonates with people all over, and that’s a really unfortunate problem that we… have to fix,’ she told the Today show on Monday.
‘It took me a while to understand that I was in a traumatic experience and I needed a moment to give my emotions a chance to rest,’ she said.
Nevertheless, she said, the need for ‘accountability’ by the authorities spurred her on to release the video.
That in turn led to thousands expressing their shock and confusion over the cop’s seemingly outlandish behavior – which left Wubbels scratching her head.
‘I don’t know what his problem was,’ she said, adding that she ‘would have liked a chance for him to talk to one of his superiors’ before grabbing her.
The Rigby Police Department said Gray was the victim in a horrific accident in northern Utah while working his full-time job as a truck driver.
According to police, the suspect in the incident was fleeing from Utah State Highway Patrol, when he crossed into oncoming traffic and collided head on with Gray’s truck, severely injuring Gray, and killing himself.
‘Officer Gray was flown to the University of Utah’s burn unit where he is still under their watchful, professional, and competent care,’ the department wrote on Facebook.
Wubbels appeared on the Today show to discuss the incident that she says ‘resonates with people all over, and that’s a really unfortunate problem that we… have to fix’
Wubbels (pictured with her attorney) said that a lawsuit is ‘not off the table,’ but right now she’s more concerned about how incidents like these have left people mistrusting authorities
‘Within the first hours of Officer Gray being admitted into the burn unit, an incident occurred between hospital staff and an officer from an agency in Utah who was assisting with the investigation.
The Rigby Police Department said they didn’t become aware of the incident until last week.
While Salt Lake Police Department has been ‘progressive’ and helpful, Wubbels said, others were not.
University of Utah cops and hospital security witnessed her arrest and did nothing to help – and she said their bosses were not willing to discuss why that was a problem.
University of Utah Police Chief Dale Brophy (pictured) made his first public comments on Monday regarding his officers failing to intervene during the incident at the hospital
‘So [the video] was a little bit of a trigger to say, “All right this is what you need to see if you’re not willing to see it then I’ll show it to you,”‘ she said.
But one silver lining is that masses of people who saw the video were outraged by the apparent misuse of power, and contacted Wubbels to support her.
‘At first, it was maybe – overwhelming is an understatement, but just the gratitude I have for the support by my colleagues, nurses around the country, around the world and just healthcare providers in general is just amazing,’ she said.
Wubbels said that a lawsuit is ‘not off the table,’ but right now she’s more concerned about how incidents like these have left people mistrusting authorities.
However, she said she doesn’t see it as her job to correct the cops’ behavior.
‘I’m not here to police the police,’ she said. ‘The police need to do that if they’re going to regain any trust with the public.’
Officials at the hospital have since apologized for the incident.
University of Utah Police Chief Dale Brophy made his first public comments on Monday regarding his officers failing to intervene during the incident at the hospital.
Brophy said none of the hospital officers have been disciplined but they will receive additional training. He said they have implemented policy changes.
Detective Payne, who was put on leave, also apologized for his role in the incident.