Hunter
12/21/23
An Iowa City man was arrested after threatening and assaulting a paramedic.
The incident occurred at approximately 3:30pm Tuesday at the Kum & Go on South Gilbert Street. 33-year-old Jonathan Lanuza of South Riverside Drive was being treated by an emergency paramedic in the back of an ambulance. While the paramedic was attempting to treat Lanuza, police say he grabbed the paramedic by her wrists, pulled her closer to him, and made statements about the “voices” wanting him to kill her.
Lanuza’s actions were reportedly without provocation, and they put the paramedic in fear for her safety.
Lanuza was on probation for Harassment and Child Endangerment convictions, and had signed out of Hope House earlier that morning for the purpose of finding employment. When he failed to return, staff was later informed that he had been brought to the ER at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and was intoxicated.
Lanuza was charged with Assault on Persons in Certain Occupations, a serious misdemeanor punishable by a jail sentence of up to one year if convicted. The Department of Corrections requested a detention order for Lanuza and recommended bond be set at $4300.