Five Dallas police officers were told to stay home temporarily after arresting a man whom jail officers later reported had a “possible case of COVID-19” on Sunday.
All five officers who came in contact with the person they arrested “were notified of the potential exposure and given a day off for precautionary reasons,” according to a Dallas police statement. The officers are expected to return to work at their next tour of duty, police told the Dallas Morning News.
At about 9 a.m. Sunday, Dallas officers responded to a disturbance call at an East Dallas apartment. When officers arrived, Dallas Fire and Rescue had taken the 24-year-old man to a local hospital for injuries, according to a Dallas police statement.
Medical staff treated the man and released him back to Dallas officers, who drove him to jail and charged him with assault of a family member, police said.
At around 10:30 p.m., jail officers notified Dallas police of a possible case of COVID-19 involving the man, who was taken by private ambulance to Parkland Hospital.
The squad cars involved in the man’s arrest were immediately removed from service for cleaning, police said.
