Man Says Portland Rescuers Beat Him after Argument

A 48-year-old man says Portland firefighters forced him to the floor and kicked him after he argued with them in the lobby of his apartment building early Thursday --an allegation backed up by surveillance tapes.

The tapes, recorded from cameras mounted in the lobby of the Fairfield Apartments, show that resident Terry DeGeorge didn't appear to touch the firefighters before they forced him to the floor. While he was being held down by two firefighters and a paramedic, another firefighter kicked him three times, the video shows. A security guard restrained him with handcuffs.

The attack occurred shortly after midnight at the apartment building, 1117 S.W. Stark St., which is about a block away from Powell's Books.

DeGeorge said the attack left him with a swollen wrist, a bruised forearm, a rug burn about the size of a quarter to his right cheek and abrasions to the left cheek.

"It was animalistic behavior," said DeGeorge. "Their conduct was way beyond professional."

DeGeorge had not filed a complaint with the Portland Fire Bureau on Thursday, and he said he's not sure if he will. He said he's shocked by what happened and doesn't know what to do. He was given a copy of the video by an apartment manager after he reviewed it.

Lt. Allen Oswalt, a spokesman for the Fire Bureau, said a different story likely would emerge if the videotape had also recorded what was said in the lobby.

"It's too bad there isn't sound in that video," Oswalt said. "Because both of our guys interviewed said he was screaming profanities. . . . He was being very aggressive, in your face kind of stuff. Our firefighters felt threatened."

Oswalt said firefighters also worried about the patient's safety. Koddy Hart, who was being treated by firefighters, said he didn't feel threatened by DeGeorge.

Fire Bureau administrators learned about the incident on Thursday afternoon, and Oswalt said they hadn't had an opportunity to acquire the videotape. Oswalt said he couldn't fully comment about what happened until he saw the video.

Neighbor a witness

Hart, who saw the altercation, said DeGeorge can be intimidating but did not swing at the firefighters.

"The way they handled it was totally wrong," Hart said.

DeGeorge concedes that he was angry because he was awakened about midnight by a commotion in the lobby of the apartment, which is home to about 80 low-income residents.

Hart had a severe headache and had called for medical help. Oswalt said logs show that four firefighters from Station 3 at Northwest 17th Avenue and Johnson Street responded. Two paramedics from AMR also responded.

DeGeorge said he complained to firefighters who were treating Hart on a couch in the lobby. DeGeorge says he doesn't remember exactly what he said --probably something about how he was unhappy about the disturbance. He says he didn't swear.

"I spoke loudly," DeGeorge said. "I was in a negative state. My vibes were not good."

Even so, DeGeorge said he was surprised by the firefighters' response.

"Two wrongs don't make a right," DeGeorge said. "Instead of trying to calm me down by talking to me, they jumped me. . . . One of them said, 'You don't mess with the fire department.' "

Police arrive

A few minutes later, the video shows the firefighters backing away. Two Portland police officers arrive and drag DeGeorge out of the lobby, pulling him by one arm.

"The cops didn't even know what's going on," DeGeorge said. "They drag me away like a piece of meat."

DeGeorge said Portland Police detained him in the back of a patrol car for about 10 minutes before letting him go without charging him. Sgt. Brian Schmautz, spokesman for the Portland Police Bureau, said he hadn't been able to see the officer's reports.

Oswalt said the Fire Bureau likely would ask the police to do an investigation.

DeGeorge's girlfriend, Mary Elizabeth Long, said DeGeorge deserves an apology from firefighters. "That was uncalled for," Long said. "They shouldn't be hurting people like that."