PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – A registered nurse is facing a felony charge after police said he shoved a patient to the floor while working at a psychiatric hospital in Pembroke Pines.
Authorities arrested Pablo Garcia, 64, of Hollywood, on a charge of abuse of a disabled adult without great bodily harm on Thursday in connection with the April 1 incident.
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Pembroke Pines police said Garcia was working in the Viscaya wing of South Florida State Hospital, located at 800 Cypress Drive, when a patient walked over to him while he was standing by the medication counter just after 5 a.m.
An arrest report states that CCTV footage appears to show the patient and Garcia yelling at one another when Garcia “violently” shoved the man in the upper torso area, causing him to fall to the floor.
“As I watched this video, at no point did I see (the patient) make any physical movements toward Garcia that would cause this type of response,” Pembroke Pines police Detective Christopher Abbey wrote. “(The patient) had his arms down to his sides as he was pushed to the floor.”
Abbey wrote that Garcia declined to speak with him over the phone or in person regarding the incident.
The report states that police located Garcia at the Home Depot store at 1951 S. State Road 7 in West Park Thursday morning and arrested him. Authorities said he declined to speak to detectives without a lawyer present.
Garcia’s nursing license remains active, according to Florida Department of Health records, which list no public complaints or disciplinary actions as of Friday.
He’s been licensed as a nurse in Florida since 2003, those records show.
Jail records show Garcia was set to leave the Broward Main Jail on a $3,500 bond Friday.
Local 10 News contacted Recovery Solutions, which operates South Florida State Hospital, seeking comment regarding the incident and arrest.