Cleveland Man Spit On Paramedic, Said He Had COVID-19: DOJ

CLEVELAND — A Cleveland man has been accused of spitting on paramedics and police while claiming he had contracted COVID-19.

Walter Ray Poindexter, 32, was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury. He has been charged with false information and hoaxes, prosecutors said.

On March 14, 2020, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) was told an intoxicated person had boarded a downtown trolley. The suspect was later identified as Poindexter, prosecutors said.

Poindexter was taken to the Cuyahoga County Jail because he had an outstanding warrant in Franklin County. While being processed into the jail, the 32-year-old claimed he was having trouble breathing and told officers he had COVID-19, prosecutors said.

As officers tried to carry Poindexter into the jail, he attempted to cough into officers' faces, court documents said. Prosecutors said Poindexter also attempted to cough in the direction of a jail nurse, while repeatedly claiming he had coronavirus.

Poindexter was taken to MetroHealth Medical Center for a medical evaluation. When he arrived in the emergency room, he again claimed to have coronavirus, court documents said, and began coughing and spitting at paramedics, police and hospital staff.

According to prosecutors, while being moved from a gurney to a hospital bed, Poindexter sat up and spit directly in the face of a paramedic.

Both Poindexter and the paramedic were given a COVID-19 test, which came back negative.