California man dies after paramedics refused to enter care facility, citing COVID restrictions

A California man at a long-term care facility died last month after paramedics on the scene refused to enter the building to provide treatment, citing an alleged county COVID-19 restriction — and now the city is investigating the events surrounding his death.

Joseph Angulo, 56, unresponsive and in cardiac arrest, was in desperate need of lifesaving care the night of Nov. 11, but due to what appears to be confusion over an outdated coronavirus health and safety guideline, he may have been prevented from receiving that care.

It is unclear whether Angulo’s life could have been saved, but based on the video of his final moments that night, it is clear that more could have been done. Police bodycam video, recently obtained by KTTV-TV, shows a police officer walking the halls of the Rialto Post Acute Care Center. Two Rialto Fire Department first responders are seen standing at the entrance of the facility but refusing to come in.

The police officer, Ralph Ballew, can be heard explaining to a clearly exasperated nurse that the paramedics won’t enter due to “some [COVID] law” and that the patient had to be brought to them for transport to a hospital. Ballew then helps care facility staff push the bed, which has no wheels, down the hallway and to the waiting paramedics. Nearly five minutes passed. – READ MORE