Louisville doctor arrested for assaulting teens over social distancing

A doctor in Louisville, Kentucky was arrested Tuesday and charged with strangulation and multiple counts of assault. Dr. John Rademaker allegedly attacked a small group of teen girls who had gathered in a public amphitheater for failing to maintain social distancing. Rademaker shoved several teens and put his hands around one girl’s neck. His attack was caught on video and that video eventually made its way to the police:

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The incident happened Friday around 8:30 p.m.

One of the witnesses contacted WLKY on Sunday, saying Rademaker and a woman angrily approached them near the Norton Commons Amphitheater.

The victim said that the couple used explicit language to express their disapproval of the teenagers being out while COVID-19 social distancing guidelines are in place.

Here’s the video of the incident which the victims shared with police:

The police have advised people not to take social distancing enforcement into their own hands. Meanwhile, Rademaker has been put on administrative leave by the hospital where he works:

“Obviously, we do not advise individuals concerned about social distancing to take matters into their own hands and confront people about it, especially in any physical way,” police department Special Advisor Jessie Halladay said in a statement shared with NBC News.

A statement from Baptist Health Louisville said Rademaker was a contract physician with the provider but “has been placed on administrative leave from his practice and is not providing services at a Baptist Health facility.”

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This is not the first violent episode in what some are calling “quarantine shaming.” Last month, 86-year-old Janie Marshall was killed in a New York hospital after another patient became angry Marshall was invading her space:

The woman, Janie Marshall, who had dementia, grabbed onto another patient’s IV pole to regain her balance and orient herself, the police said.

The patient, Cassandra Lundy, 32, had apparently become irate that Ms. Marshall had broken the six feet of personal space recommended to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, law enforcement officials said. Ms. Lundy shoved the older woman, knocking her to the floor. Ms. Marshall struck her head and died three hours later.

After the coroner ruled the death a homicide, Lundy was charged with manslaughter. But not every case ends with the the people demanding others follow social distancing guidelines being the victims. Yesterday, the NY Daily News reported on a woman and her 61-year-old father who approached a group of teens in Florida. In response, they were both attacked with a baseball bat by the teens:

The 21-year-old woman told police she and her father were on a boat about 7:30 p.m. when they saw about 20 people drinking on the beach…

The woman said she and her father confronted the group about social distancing and asked them to keep the noise down, but at least one assailant grabbed a baseball bat and struck both victims in the head, according to the sheriff’s office. It was unclear how many people took part in the assault.

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So this can cut both ways. Some people are being busybodies and some of them go way too far to enforce the rules (which is not their job). On the other hand, some groups are belligerent about flouting the rules, even to the point of violence.

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