FDNY EMT Lied About Christmas Morning Robbery, Police Say
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- An FDNY emergency medical technician who said he was violently attacked and robbed in the Bronx early Christmas morning is now under arrest for allegedly lying about the incident.
Steven Sampson, 41, claimed four men in ski masks stole $2,500 worth of Christmas presents for his wife and two daughters out of his car, and stabbed him in the arm in Soundview just after midnight Sunday.
Police say he made up the story.
The 9/11 first responder is now charged with making a false written statement and falsely reporting an incident.
Police sources tell CBS2 they still don't know why he lied.
Earlier this week, CBS2's Scott Rapoport spoke with Sampson, who showed him a nine-stitch gash on his upper arm that he claimed to have suffered during the attack.
He claimed he was organizing the gifts in the back of his car on the corner of Bolton and Randall avenues when trouble came calling.
Sampson, who said he is a black belt in Judo and Akido, told Rapoport that he fought back and later drove himself to the hospital after realizing he was stabbed "very deep to the bone."
