Surveillance video shows a suspect, Thomas Apollo, assaulting workers at a vaccine clinic in Tustin, California after he verbally attacked them and called staff “murderers” on 30 December 2021. Apollo was arrested on suspicion of battery and resisting arrest. Video: ABC7
Surveillance video shows a suspect, Thomas Apollo, assaulting workers at a vaccine clinic in Tustin, California after he verbally attacked them and called staff “murderers” on 30 December 2021. Apollo was arrested on suspicion of battery and resisting arrest. Video: ABC7

By Lila Seidman
4 January 2022

(Los Angeles Times) – One of Parsia Jahanbani’s biggest fears was realized when a man calling healthcare workers “murderers” attacked him and other staff members outside a mobile vaccine clinic in Tustin last week, he said. [For context, see Desdemona’s post, Covid and the war on medical expertise. –Des]

After a security guard asked the man to wear a mask, he became increasingly angry — claiming medical workers were complicit in a COVID-19 hoax and that “he was ‘not a sheep’ ” — said Jahanbani, the mobile operations manager for Families Together of Orange County, where the clinic was operating in the parking lot on 30 December 2021.

As Jahanbani, 37, and a medical assistant approached, the man — identified by police as Thomas Apollo, 43 — launched at them, landing a blow on Jahanbani, he said Tuesday. The medical assistant, who declined to be identified, tried to pull Apollo back and took “a few pretty strong punches” to his head, chest and back, Jahanbani said.

Video shows a suspect, Thomas Apollo, assaulting workers at a vaccine clinic in Tustin, California after he verbally attacked them and called staff “murderers” on 30 December 2021. Video: ABC7

The assistant ended up pinned under Apollo as he delivered punch after punch, Jahanbani said. He said it took five people — including another healthcare worker and two patients — to pry the man off. About 10 to 20 patients were at the clinic, which has seen a recent surge in demand for vaccines and tests as the Omicron variant continues to drive a rapid increase in cases, said Cassie Rossel, a spokesperson for the community healthcare center.

It took seven police officers roughly 15 minutes to restrain Apollo, who was “irate and shouting profanities,” Jahanbani said.

Rossel said that the man was shocked with stun guns about three times and that the police were left with scratches on their arms from the encounter. Operations at the mobile clinic shut down for the day.

The medical assistant was taken to the emergency room and returned to work Tuesday looking like “a boxer after a fight,” said Alexander Rossel, chief executive of Families Together. […]

It’s not the first time healthcare workers at Families Together have experienced blowback since the pandemic began nearly two years ago. Throughout the vaccine rollout, there have been picketers, people yelling from passing cars and many mistrustful and misinformed patients, Jahanbani said. The community health center, which operates another location in Garden Grove, has administered about 50,000 COVID-19 vaccines.

“This one went above and beyond,” Jahanbani said of the recent incident. “It was one of my biggest fears coming true.” […]

Rossel said there’s been a “roller coaster” of reactions to healthcare workers from the public during the pandemic.

“First, we’re heroes. And then somehow we’re not heroes anymore,” Rossel said. “Now we’re the enemies.” [more]

Man attacks workers at Orange County COVID-19 vaccine clinic, calling them ‘murderers’