4 Palm Springs police officers in quarantine after COVID-positive suspect spit on them
Two Palm Springs police officers and two sergeants are now in a 10-day quarantine after a COVID positive suspect spit on them during an arrest.
The arrest happened in the area of S. Indian Canyon and Baristo Road. Officers were intitally called to respond to reports of a man who running in and out of traffic and broke the window of a passing truck.
According to PSPD, two sergeants and two officers responded to the scene and had to physically subdue the man after he became physically resistive.
"The man was yelling and spitting on the two sergeants and two officers during the entire event," reads a notice from PSPD.
The man was taken to the hospital for a mental health evaluation.
"Once at the hospital, the man continued to spit on the officers and needed to be restrained while officers escorted him inside," adds PSPD.
The man was tested for coronavirus at the hospital and his results came back positive.
The two officers and two sergeants were immediately notified of the exposure and placed on quarantine for 10 days.
There was no word on how the status of the officers or if they have been tested at this time. The identities of the officers/sergeants were not publicly disclosed nor was the suspect. Officers reported having trouble identifying the suspect at the hospital.
Stay with News Channel 3 for any updates.
On Dec. 21, the Palm Springs Police Department reported that there were 27 employees out due to COVID. At the time, 9 employees tested positive. The outbreak did not impact the department's response to service calls.
