Unsettling footage captures the moment a Department of Veterans Affairs employee pushed an elderly Vietnam veteran into a door and threw him to the ground.
Phillip Webb, 73, reported that he was assaulted on April 28 at the Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic at Fort McPherson in Atlanta.
Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Justin Gray had to file a Freedom of Information Act request and wait over a month and a half to obtain the security footage, which reveals a VA patient advocate violently punching and kicking Webb.
Lawrence F. Gaillard Jr., a VA employee, was taken into custody and charged with the brutal assault.
On Monday, Gray revealed to Webb the video of his assault.
Webb stated that he remembers little about the attack.
Gaillard appears to point his finger at Webb’s face during what appears to be a short argument between the two men in the video. Gaillard charges Webb, pushing him against the wall, choking him with both hands around his neck, and then body-slamming the elderly service members to the ground, where he stomps and kicks his head.
Gaillard remains employed at the hospital, according to the most recent information provided by the Atlanta VA, despite his arrest.
The VA released a statement stating…
“We are horrified at the video of a V.A. employee assaulting a Veteran at the Atlanta VA Health Care System on April 28. This disturbing behavior is contrary to our core values of treating Veterans with the dignity and respect they deserve. We take this matter seriously and will cooperate fully with Fulton County law enforcement.”
