A 36-year-old Levittown man with a Valentine’s Day birthday didn’t show any love for Lower Bucks Hospital staff recently. He stands accused of assaulting a hospital security staff member where he allegedly pulled several dreadlocks out of the officer’s head.
According to the criminal complaint, at 20 minutes after midnight on Jan. 23 Bristol Township Police were dispatched to the hospital’s emergency room for a fight in progress.
Officer William Schmidt arrived on scene shortly after 911 dispatch and made contact with the security officer and suspect, Donald Burks. Burks was restrained by hospital staffers and then handcuffed by police.
Burks, according to the probable cause, was asked what was going on and responded that he felt hospital staff were discriminating against him and he was protecting himself.
Schmidt interviewed a witness who told police Burks appeared to be very agitated and rambling about people not treating him fairly and discriminating against him. She related that the security officer approached Burks and asked him to explain the specifics of what the suspect was alleging in an effort to deescalate the situation. The witness said Burks became increasingly agitated and got in the security officer’s face, subsequently punching him in the face, police said.
The security officer was interviewed by police and said Burks shoved, punched, and kicked him. When he fell to the ground during the attack, actively trying not to fight the suspect, Burks ripped out his dreadlocks.
Officers noticed the ripped out “locks” on the hospital lobby floor.
Police obtained and reviewed hospital security footage from the incident which, according to police, confirmed Burks attacked the security officer.
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