Cops: Doctor Strangled Teen in Social Distancing Dispute

Video shows Friday altercation in Louisville, Ky.
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 8, 2020 9:30 AM CDT

A doctor has been arrested in Kentucky after a video allegedly showed him shoving a group of teenage girls, and putting his hands around one teen's neck, in a dispute over social distancing. John Rademaker, a Louisville-area physician, was arrested and charged Tuesday with strangulation and three counts of harassment with physical contact, per WLKY. Police said the incident happened 8:30pm Friday near Louisville's Norton Commons, where nine teens were watching the sunset, per the Courier Journal. A witness tells WLKY that the doctor and a woman angrily approached the teens, cursing at them for being out in public. A video posted on Reddit allegedly shows Rademaker assaulting an 18-year-old woman. WLKY reports it also shows Rademaker's companion putting her hands on a teen.

The 18-year-old didn't suffer serious injuries, per the Courier Journal. Rademaker, an employee of Southern Indiana Anesthesia Consultants, was placed on administrative leave as reports about the incident spread. The group said the move was made "pending further investigation." It added Rademaker "was not on official call or due to report to the hospital in any official capacity." He was released from jail Tuesday on a personal recognizance bond and is due at an arraignment hearing on May 8. "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," police say in a statement, advising "people who are concerned about large gatherings to call 311 or 911 to report their concerns." (More social distancing stories.)

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