Man charged with attacking cop, nurse
A 28-year-old man faces assault charges after Austin police said he attacked a nurse and an officer at a hospital over the weekend, court documents say.
Police have charged Frank Finnegan with assault on emergency room personnel and assault on a peace officer.
Finnegan refused to leave the Omni Hotel at 800 Brazos St. around 3 a.m. Friday and was heavily intoxicated, according to his arrest affidavit filed.
When police arrived and tried to detain Finnegan, he aggressively resisted and attempted to gouge out an officer’s right eye with his left thumb, court documents say. Police took Finnegan to Dell Seton Medical Center to be treated for injuries he sustained while fighting with the officer and for being intoxicated.
Finnegan raised his legs in an attempt to kick a registered nurse who was trying put a heartbeat monitor onto the man, court documents say.
The officer told Finnegan not to kick the nurse because he would be charged with a felony, the documents say.
The nurse again tried to put the heartbeat monitor on Finnegan, but he “tucked his knees to his chest, rocked backwards and threw a full body kick” at her, hitting her on the right side of her chest, neck and face, the documents say.
Finnegan’s shoes caught on the nurse’s earring and tore her earlobe, the documents say. The force of the kick spun the woman into the wall, where she then slid to the floor, the documents say.
After the incident, Finnegan was restrained by the officer and hospital security guards.
Finnegan’s bail amount has been set to $40,000, court documents say.