Kentucky Doctor Pushes Girls, Tries To Strangulate One Of Them 'For Failing To Social Distance'

Police in Louisville, Kentucky, were reviewing a viral video that showed a man pushing few young females and trying to strangulate one of them. The incident took place Friday night.

The video that surfaced on Reddit over the weekend under the headline “Man strangles teenage girl for failing to social distance,” showed the unidentified man pushing the females, then strangling one of them. The Louisville Metro Police Department was investigating the incident and no arrests were made as of Monday. The police, in a report, said “without consent, suspect applied pressure to victims throat and impeded her breathing” following which the girl suffered an "apparent minor injury."

In a statement, police said, “We are aware of this video and officers from the 8th Division responded to a call to this incident (Friday) and took a report. Obviously, we do not advise individuals concerned about social distancing to take matters into their own hands and confront people about it, especially in any physical way. We ask people who are concerned about large gatherings to call 311 or 911 to report their concerns.”

Speaking to NBC-affiliated television station WAVE 3 News, LMPD spokeswoman Jessie Halladay said. “We know people are out there saying, ‘Hey guys, you should probably social distance.’ That’s one thing, if you’re being polite and it’s your neighbors, we don’t want you to take it into your own hands, and you certainly should never get physical.”

Commenting on the incident, Sadiqa Reynolds, the president of Louisville Urban League, a social services organization said, “These are grown people who assaulted young people. They’re kids, and we need to deal with it like that has to be stopped, and he and his wife have to be held accountable.”

Meanwhile, after the video of the incident went viral, Baptist Health, a health provider, confirmed that the suspect, an independent contractor, worked as a doctor on one of its campuses. A spokesperson confirmed that an internal investigation was ongoing and the suspect was placed on administrative leave.