D.C. Fire and EMS said that it placed six employees on leave last week after the first responders began brawling with a man who was accused of striking a firefighter. The man is in custody.

A bystander video of the incident shows multiple members of the fire crew punching suspect Charles Simpkins II and then tackling him to the ground at the scene on Tuesday. One firefighter appears to kick Simpkins II in the head once he is brought down.

Responding officers from the Metropolitan Police then enter the fray and begin shoving the D.C. Fire employees off the suspect, according to the video.

 The 43-year-old Simpkins II was arrested on charges of assaulting a police officer after the fight was stopped, according to a police report of the incident obtained by The Washington Times. 

“The actions depicted in a video of the incident are completely unacceptable and do not reflect the behavior we require of our members,” D.C. Fire spokesman Vito Maggiolo local CBS affiliate WUSA in a statement Wednesday.  

The station reported that fire crews were called to the scene on Florida Avenue Northwest after Simpkins II had grabbed a wheel of Metrobus and refused to let go.

Police said Simpkins II was acting aggressively toward emergency personnel and eventually punched one of the firefighters in the face, causing the melee to break out.

The DC Fire Fighters Association, the local department’s union, said in a statement Wednesday that the firefighters were treating another patient when the suspect “violently attacked” a crew member, which forced the first responders to “defend themselves and the helpless patient under their care.”

“The video … unfortunately shows only a very small portion of the event, not showing the event in totality,” the statement read. “It is an irresponsible, ‘made for TV’ misrepresentation of the incident, lacking all of the facts and the complete story.”

The incident is under investigation by both police and fire officials.

• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.