By Andrew Seymour
OTTAWA — An alcoholic who was once saved from nearly drowning by police was sentenced to time served Monday for spitting on them.
Alam Gabriel Buoc, 23, admitted spitting in the face of an Ottawa paramedic, police officer and special constable on Oct. 30 following his arrest for being intoxicated in a public place.
Buoc had been stumbling down Poulin Avenue at 3:22 a.m. He refused to show his hands to police, which led to him being grounded and handcuffed.
A belligerent Buoc, whose right hand was bandaged when police arrested him, spit in the face of a paramedic who was trying to assess him. He later spit on the forearm of a police officer as he was being placed in a police car.
Buoc spit at the officer a second time, hitting him in the temple, when the officer tried to restrain Buoc after he tried kicking out a window on the cruiser.
Once at the police station, Buoc pretended to be unconscious and then spit on the officer’s body armour when he came to check on him. He also spit on the face and forearm of a special constable who tried to search him.
Buoc, who pleaded guilty to assault, assaulting a peace officer and two breaches of probation, has a serious alcohol addiction, said his lawyer, Jason Gilbert. Gilbert noted his client might not even be alive if not for Ottawa police.
In December 2009, police fished a heavily intoxicated Buoc from a pond where he was found floating face down, Gilbert said. Buoc was given credit for 25 days of pre-sentence custody and released.
