A Kentucky doctor has been charged with strangulation and harassment after a video went viral in which he appears to shout profanities and...
A Kentucky doctor has been charged with strangulation and harassment after a video went viral in which he appears to shout profanities and shove teenage girls.
John Rademaker, 57, was arrested by the Louisville Metro Police Department in connection with the 27-second clip which allegedly shows him grabbing an 18-year-old woman by the throat during a heated argument over social distancing.
Rademaker was placed on administrative leave from his job at One Anesthesia after the incident before being arrested by police on Tuesday and charged with one count of strangulation and three counts of harassment.
The victims shown in the video are not named.
'The Louisville Metro Police Department has arrested John Rademaker in reference to an investigation stemming from a viral video at Norton Commons, Friday,' police announced in a Facebook post.
'Mr. Rademaker faces a total of four charges to include: Strangulation 1st degree and Harassment with physical contact.
John Rademaker was arrested on Tuesday in connection with this 27-clip in which a man is seen accosting a group of teenagers over social distancing and strangling one girl
Local police announced the arrest of John Rademaker after the video went viral
'LMPD did not release the video or “blur” faces in this incident. The viral video was well circulated. This is an on-going investigation and we simply cannot comment further.'
Footage captured on a cellphone emerged over the weekend, which allegedly showed Rademaker coming to blows with a large group of young people at the Norton Commons amphitheater in Louisville, Kentucky on Friday at around 8.30pm.
The doctor and his female friend, who is also reportedly a health care worker, confronted the nine teenagers for not following social distancing rules to help curb the spread of coronavirus, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal.
This doctor from Indiana was caught on video on Friday physically attacking a group of teenage girls in Louisville, Kentucky, for failing to follow the rules of social distancing
Rademaker allegedly shoved the young woman in the blue sweatshirt after a verbal argument
As of Wednesday evening, Kentucky had just over 1,300 confirmed cases of the illness and 73 deaths.
The video opens with Rademaker dressed in a red T-shirt and bluejeans having a verbal argument with a young woman, who assures him that they are about to leave.
'Let's not cuss at each other,' she tells him.
The doctor then points a finger at one of the teens, whom he referrers to as 'this a**hole right here,' then shoves the girl.
'What the f*** is your problem?' the girl cries out. 'You do not touch me!'
He then lunged at an 18-year-old woman lying on the ground, and proceeded to allegedly strangle her by squeezing her neck. The victim did not require medical attention
The victim's friends intervened, leaving the woman gasping for air and crying out
The confrontation escalates even further when Rademaker pushes another girl out of the way, then lunges at a third teen lying on the ground and allegedly proceeds to strangle her by placing his hands around her neck.
Her friends intervene and yell at the doctor to let go of the 18-year-old woman, who is heard in the video gasping and crying out.
Rademaker was accompanied by this blond woman, who claimed to also be a doctor
A longer version of the video shows a young man in the group warning the doctor to 'quit it,' before the two sides disengage.
A woman in the group is heard telling the female doctor that she is 'not a health care physician'.
'Oh, yes I am!' the woman replies, to which another teen in the group says, 'you just assaulted a human being'.
The alleged victim of the attack called police, who responded to the scene and took an incident report.
A spokesperson for the Louisville Metro Police Department told DailyMail.com that the 18-year-old victim did not require or request medical attention after having her breathing impeded.
Meanwhile, Rademaker's employer released a statement through a public relations agency, saying he has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation.
'Our well wishes extend to all parties involved and we will continue to monitor this situation as new information develops,' the company said.
Local police have warned that people should refrain from taking the law into their own hands to enforce social distancing.
'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,' a police spokesperson said.
'We ask people who are concerned about large gatherings to call 311 or 911 to report their concerns.'
The federal government continues to encourage social distancing guidelines across the nation as the coronavirus pandemic continues.
As of Wednesday evening, there were more than 435,000 national cases and the death toll stood at 14,831.
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