State suspends license of former Dallas Fire-Rescue paramedic seen kicking homeless man

The state suspended a paramedic’s license in Dallas after he was caught on video repeatedly kicking an unarmed homeless man on the ground, online records show.

Texas Health and Human Services suspended Brad Cox’s license earlier this month in an emergency, despite online records failing to give a reason.

The department may issue an emergency suspension of a person’s medic or EMT license if there is “reasonable grounds to believe that the conduct of a certifier or licensee poses an imminent threat to public health or safety,” according to the State Administration Act.

Online records list both November 3rd and 5th as his suspension date.

The Dallas Morning News and other local media posted videos this year from police cameras and a nearby store showing Cox, who is also a mixed martial arts fighter, repeatedly kicking and punching Kyle Vess. Dallas-Fire Rescue fired Cox after the videos were released.

Dallas Police said Vess, a 32-year-old man with a schizophrenia-like mental illness, started a fire along Interstate 30 in West Dallas on August 2, 2019.

Brad Alan Cox joined the Dallas Fire Rescue in 2002.(Torralva, Krista)

Cox told police Vess hit him while putting out one of the fires. Vess was arrested on suspicion of attacking an officer.

The Department of Public Integrity Unit found that Cox was acting in self-defense. Police chief Eddie García said Thursday a review of the case is still ongoing.

Vess was detained and taken to a mental health facility to be regained so that he could be tried. He was released under house arrest last year. The Dallas County District Attorney’s Office dismissed the case in October after multiple news reports reported the incident.

The von Vess family filed a lawsuit against Cox and the city this year. They said the paramedic’s beating made Vess’ mental health worse, according to the lawsuit. He remained partially paralyzed with a broken eye socket, broken teeth, a broken sinus cavity and the right half of his face, the lawsuit said.

Cox’s attorneys were unavailable for comment Thursday and have declined to comment while the lawsuit is pending. In his written response to the lawsuit, Cox said he was forced to defend himself against Vess’s aggressive behavior. Cox said he believed his actions were right and not against the law, his lawyers wrote in court records.

Kyle Vess’ mug shot taken on August 3, 2019 after Dallas paramedic Brad Cox repeatedly kicked him while he was on the ground.(Dallas County)

The fire department fired Cox on October 29th. Fire chief Dominique Artis has refused to answer questions about Cox, the department’s protocols for handling scenes prior to the police arrival and the use of strength training for paramedics. Spokesman Jason Evans said the department would not speak out while the lawsuit is pending.

Cox has been on fire leave since September after The News started asking questions about the incident and the Dallas Observer first released a police body camera video.

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