Dad Arrested, Accused Of Pointing Gun At Tampa Paramedics

TAMPA - Kelverick Lewis thought his infant son needed to go to the hospital, and he got enraged after Tampa Fire Rescue arrived on scene Wednesday night and said the child was fine, Tampa police say.

The 20-year-old Tampa man threatened to shoot two firefighters trained as emergency medical technicians, Jeffrey Allred and Tony Kupsis, unless they took the child to the hospital, a police report states. Lewis grabbed a semi-automatic pistol, chambered a round and pointed it at the firefighters.

The firefighters ran away.

"They were fine," Assistant Fire Chief Tom Forward said. "Naturally, they were rattled."

Lewis was arrested today.

It's not uncommon for a paramedic to get threatened on the job, but rarely does a one have a weapon pulled on him, Forward said.

Fliers placed up at fire stations said that if people saw Lewis, they should notify police immediately.

On Friday, a police officer spoke with Lewis via Lewis' cell phone, asking him to surrender peacefully.

Lewis didn't surrender.

This morning, the officer used the help of the U.S. Marshal's Service to find and arrest Lewis at an apartment complex north of Fowler Avenue.

Officers arrested Lewis at 10 a.m. at 1794 Woodfern Drive in Tampa.

Lewis was charged with four counts of aggravated assault on a firefighter. He also had another arrest warrant charging him with one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of battery–domestic violence.

Lewis, of 13804 Cypress Way, No. 32F, remained in Orient Road Jail today. His bail had not been set.