JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A firefighter who was stabbed by a patient while on duty in 2019 was arrested last week and accused of driving under the influence.
According to an arrest report from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Latorrence Norris was driving on Lane Avenue South just after midnight on Feb. 12 when he stopped at a green light.
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Norris, 35, then started backing up when an JSO cruiser that was right behind Norris stopped him. The officer talked to Norris and noted signs of impairment and helped him out of the car, the report states.
A DUI officer that arrived at the scene asked Norris if he had been drinking, but his response is redacted in the report. Norris denied taking prescription drugs or illegal drugs and some of his answers were ‘incoherent gibberish,' the officer noted.
Norris at first declined to do a field sobriety test, according to the report, but then tried and performed poorly on all exercises. The officer said Norris then refused to take a breathalyzer and was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.
Norris was critically injured by a patient he was transporting and was in the hospital for days. A security officer at UF Health was lauded for helping save Norris’ life.
A JFRD spokesman said Norris was assigned to administrative duty following his arrest.
Editor’s Note: News4Jax chose to publish this story because city firefighters are public servants and held to a higher standard than the average citizen. Firefighters are also charged with protecting the public, and in this case, the firefighter is accused of putting drivers on the road in danger. In addition, the firefighter was previously in the news after he was the victim of a highly publicized attack.