A 24 year old man says he was arrested outside a hospital in Freeport, Illinois, while taking a walk with his IV attached, and police have now responded.
Shaquille says he was admitted for pneumonia and that doctors advised him to go for a walk outside as long as he stayed on hospital property. According to a Facebook post he wrote, a security officer claimed he was trying to leave the hospital to sell the IV equipment on eBay. Police arrived, and Shaquille says he was arrested for attempted theft of the IV equipment.
He wrote that his IV was removed on the sidewalk, and not by medical staff. He says he told officers he was being treated for pneumonia and asthma, and that a sergeant answered, “I don’t care why you’re here, you’re going to jail.” Shaquille also says he had a medical emergency while being transported and that his inhaler was eventually returned to him.
Police say Shaquille, his brother and a friend were arrested for disorderly conduct toward a security officer and police. Authorities say the security guard called police because he believed the equipment might be stolen. In a statement, Freeport police said no doctor or nurse gave any patient permission to leave the hospital while still connected to an IV machine.
Freeport Police Chief Todd Barkalow told ABC News it was determined Shaquille was likely not trying to steal anything, but that the disorderly conduct charges were supported by the way they acted toward the security guard. Police urged the public to reserve judgment while a full review of the incident is completed.
Made to order and shipped to your door.
