Alarming body camera footage shows nurse being shoved, handcuffed for refusing to allow police to draw blood from her patient without a warrant


A University of Utah Hospital nurse was roughly grabbed, threatened, and handcuffed by a police detective for refusing to allow him to take blood from a patient without a warrant. The patient was unconscious and unable to give consent, The Washington Post reports. Alarming body camera footage from Detective Jeff Payne of the Salt Lake City police apparently shows nurse Alex Wubbels calmly explaining the law to Payne and getting her supervisor on the phone to back her up.
"Sir, you're making a huge mistake because you're threatening a nurse," Wubbels' supervisor told Payne on speakerphone.
Then "Payne snapped," the Post writes. "He seized hold of the nurse, shoved her out of the building, and cuffed her hands behind her back. A bewildered Wubbels screamed 'help me' and 'you're assaulting me' as the detective forced her into an unmarked car and accused her of interfering with an investigation."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Wubbels' patient was a truck driver who was hit head-on by a fleeing suspect and severely burned in the crash. The blood sample was reportedly requested in order to check for illicit substances and protect the driver, who is not accused of committing a crime. Payne, a police phlebotomist, was instructed to arrest the nurse if she didn't let him draw the sample.
Wubbels was not charged, and she stands by protecting her patient's legal rights. "A blood draw, it just gets thrown around like it's some simple thing," she said. "But your blood is your blood. That's your property." Read the full report at The Washington Post.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Sail in style onboard the brand-new Explora II
The Week Recommends Hit the high seas on a luxury cruise from Barcelona to Rome
-
Is the EU funding Russia more than Ukraine?
The Explainer EU remains largest importer of Russian fossil fuels despite sanctions aimed at crippling Kremlin's war effort
-
Posh crisps: an 'elite' tier of snacking
The Week Recommends Hand-cooked and dusted in 'decadent' flavours, the humble potato chip is being elevated to new levels
-
Driver rams van into crowd at Liverpool FC parade
speed read 27 people were hospitalized following the attack
-
2 Israel Embassy staff shot dead at DC Jewish museum
speed read The suspected gunman chanted 'free, free Palestine'
-
Bombing of fertility clinic blamed on 'antinatalist'
speed read A car bombing injured four people and damaged a fertility clinic and nearby buildings in Palm Springs, California
-
Suspect charged after 11 die in Vancouver car attack
Speed Read Kai-Ji Adam Lo drove an SUV into a crowd at the Lapu Lapu Day festival
-
Kenya arrests alleged ant smugglers
speed read Two young Belgians have been charged for attempting to smuggle ants out of the country to exotic pet buyers
-
Judge ends Eric Adams case, Trump leverage
Speed Read Federal corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams were dismissed, as requested by Trump's Justice Department
-
Texas arrests midwife on felony abortion charges
Speed Read Maria Margarita Rojas and an employee at one of her clinics are the first to be criminally charged under Texas' near-total abortion ban
-
South Carolina to execute prisoner by firing squad
speed read Death row inmate Brad Sigmon prefers the squad over the electric chair or lethal injection, his lawyer said