Cops: Man assaults police medic at Nassau University Medical Center

A Roosevelt man in police custody assaulted a medic at the hospital where he’d been taken for treatment Sunday, police said.

The incident occurred just before 7 p.m. at Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow.

Vincent Flowers, 60, of Wagner Avenue, had been transported to the hospital for treatment of a laceration to the back of his head after being arrested by Freeport Village police on a charge of obstructing governmental administration, Nassau County police said.

Police said that once at the hospital Flowers “became combative” — and had to be subdued by Freeport police, hospital staff and a Nassau police medic. During that incident, police said, Flowers “grabbed the police medic by his shirt collar,” causing injuries to the medic’s neck, back and left arm that required treatment, police said.

Details of the initial incident leading to the arrest by Freeport police were not immediately available.

Police said Flowers was admitted to the hospital and will be arraigned at a later date on the obstruction charge and second-degree assault.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”