Cops may have been exposed to hepatitis C

Cops may have been exposed to hepatitis C

Mark Zaretsky, Register Staff

May 10, 2003

WEST HAVEN — Three police officers and several firefighters and ambulance workers may have been exposed to the potentially deadly hepatitis C virus earlier this week in an incident in which they had to subdue an allegedly drunk and violent man.

Several people’s blood was spilled during the arrest, which began as a domestic dispute about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sgt. Paul Raucci said Friday.

At least two of the officers involved are considering getting tested for the blood-borne hepatitic C virus, although they had not been tested as of Friday, Raucci said.

The arrested man’s girlfriend told police he had hepatitis C.

The New Haven Register is not identifying him or the police involved because it has not been confirmed the arrested man has the disease and because of the disease’s stigma.

The man, who lives in the 700 block of Washington Avenue, was charged with five counts of assault on a public safety or emergency officer, three counts of interfering with a police officer and one count of second-degree breach of peace, Raucci said.

The officers’ clothing and equipment was collected after the incident and sent out to be cleaned and disinfected, said Police Chief Russell Kniehl.

Kniehl downplayed the potential danger. "These are cops. We have incidents like this."

All three police officers turned in injury reports "to cover themselves," he said, but he said he was not aware of any direct exposure of the man’s blood to open cuts on any officers.

West Haven Fire Department Capt. Richard Frisco would not comment, citing the confidentially of medical files.

The man’s companion initially called police and said he was in the house drinking. She said it was the first time he had been drinking in a year and she feared for her safety and wanted him out of the house, Raucci said.

When police arrived, the man refused to come to the door.

Police asked his companion if there were any weapons in the house and she said he had a bow and arrow, Raucci said.

At that point, the man began turning out lights and called out to police to stand near a window where he could see them. The officers refused out of fear that he might try to shoot one of them with an arrow.

Eventually the man ran onto a front porch and wrapped up one officer in a bear hug, lifted him and slammed his body to the porch. Additional officers arrived, sprayed the man with pepper spray and tried to handcuff him, but they initially were only able to get one cuff on him, Raucci said.

The man then punched an officer in the face. That officer struck him in the knees. Police finally subdued the man and secured him with two sets of handcuffs. The man and two police officers suffered cuts, Raucci said.

Fire Department paramedics and an ambulance were called.

The man, whose mouth was bleeding, remained uncooperative and at one point began spitting blood at everyone, Raucci said.

The man was taken in restraints to Yale-New Haven Hospital. He remained violent at the hospital and eventually had to be sedated, he said.

An estimated 3.9 million Americans have the hepatitis C virus, and 2.7 million are chronically infected, according to the national Centers for Disease Control. Symptoms can include jaundice, fatigue, dark urine, abdominal pain, loss of appetite or nausea, but 80 percent of infected people have no symptoms.

Between 75 percent and 85 percent of infected people are chronically infected and 70 percent of those get chronic liver disease. About 3 percent of the latter die.

Mark Zaretsky can be reached at mzaretsky@nhregister.com or 789-5722.