Elderly man collapses when arrested for not wearing a face mask
A video of the incident has been posted on social media, showing the elderly man crumpling to the ground and going into spasm just minutes after being arrested.
The man was arrested for ‘not wearing a mask in public’ in Brisbane where there is a snap lockdown due to an increase in COVID cases and one of the conditions of the lockdown is that face masks must be worn in public at all times.
However, this elderly man allegedly has an official exemption due to a serious medica condition.
The distressing incident was filmed on Monday morning in Brisbane's Botanic Gardens after Queensland's lockdown was extended to stem the spread of Covid in the community.
According to the man's son, who shared the footage online, the elderly man suffers from a medical condition which causes him breathing difficulties and heart problems.
During the arrest, he fell to the floor and started to spasm, gasping for air with his hands waving as he tried to reach for his backpack - which contained his medication.
When the police realised the man was in serious distress, they called an ambulance and paramedics arrived on the scene shortly after. They couldn’t identify a medical issue but they took the man to hospital as a precaution.
The distressing scenes were filmed by the elderly man's partner. The video appears to show four police officers questioning the man as they arrest him and lead him away from the park for failing to answer their questions.
The elderly man’s partner repeatedly tries to tell the officers the man has an exemption to wearing a mask. But an officer was recorded as stating he “was not confident [the man] would comply with directives” if he were to remove the handcuffs.
As the man was led away from the park in handcuffs, the footage shows him dramatically dropping to the floor and beginning to spasm.
The officers immediately respond, trying to turn the man on his side as his partner screams for help, explaining there is medication in a pocket of his bag.
An officer was filmed explaining he was legally not allowed to administer the medication, while a female policewoman reassured the woman that an ambulance had been called.
The elderly man’s son has posted the video on social media, stating: “He did not do anything illegal, he did not retaliate in a violent manner. He was conducting himself peacefully and not looking for trouble.”
He then posed several questions to the officers who arrested his dad, wanting to know exactly what he did to wind up in handcuffs and under arrest.
Queensland is in the midst of a Delta COVID variant outbreak. As a result, the Sunshine State is enduring a week-long snap lockdown in an attempt to keep cases at bay.
Chief Health Officer, Jeanette Young, has mandated that face masks be worn everywhere outside the home to minimise the risk of spreading or catching the virus.
Police have stated they are investigating the incident to check if any possible offences were committed on that day.
Image: Courtesy of Instagram