Va. Police Officer Searching for Jesus Assaults Firefighter; Antibiotic to Blame
A 23-year-old police officer charged with two counts of malicious wounding of an emergency medical care provider was denied a request to go to a psychiatric hospital to be evaluated for his hallucinations, which involved searching for Jesus.
Bradley Colas of Virginia Beach is currently in custody at Accomack County Jail for stabbing a firefighter and firing his police gun at an officer, both of whom he believed to be "evil."
His erratic and violent behavior was said to have been caused by a doctor-prescribed antibiotic drug called Biaxin, which he had been taking for three days due to his bronchitis, according to Delmarvanow.com.
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While on his medication, Colas began to feel side effects like insomnia and hallucinations. He called the pharmacy where he had received Biaxin and was told to call his doctor. When he phoned his physician, a nurse told him to stop taking the medication.
Affected by the pills, the police officer from the city of Virginia Beach began to hallucinate about meeting Jesus and being attacked by demons. He also felt that his ex-girlfriend who lived near Philadelphia, was also in danger.
Hoping to protect her, Colas began driving to meet her. While en route, his car swerved off the road and crashed into a tree. He was going more than 100 miles per hour.
When firefighters arrived at the scene, he begged them to take him to Philadelphia to meet Jesus. Then while speaking with them, he suddenly had the feeling that the firefighters were evil and stabbed one of the men in the arms. He also tried to shoot at a police officer who arrived at the scene as well. Colas was taken into custody as a result.
Dr. Thomas K. Tsao, a psychiatrist from Virginia Beach, testified at a bond hearing over the weekend that Biaxin was the only culprit for his hallucinations and delusions.
He told The Christian Post over the phone that at Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital, every possible lab test was conducted to see if any other substance, legal or illegal, was affecting his behavior.
"He was totally clean," Tsao revealed. The only drug found in his system was Biaxin, which reported a 3 percent rate of side effects.
When asked why the antibiotic would make him hallucinate about Jesus and evil spirits, the psychiatrist said, "[Colas] comes from a very Christian family."
"I think that's probably why his particular delusion and hallucination went in that direction."
His defense attorney, Moody E. Stallings Jr., also shared the same sentiments.
"He's very religious and comes from a very religious family," Stallings Jr. affirmed to The Christian Post. "I think that people that are very religious, when they have these types of episodes, that's one of the areas they go in."
"He felt he was getting messages to see Jesus and why he thought [Jesus] was in Philadelphia I can't tell."
The attorney reported that Colas was doing well now and that there was "nothing wrong with him."
"He had a reaction to a drug. He's stabilized now."
Stallings Jr. hopes that Colas will be out of custody by the end of March and believes that he will also be able to go back to work.
"He's a good officer," he concluded. "I'm hoping we'll get him back."
Colas' father, Dr. Craig Colas, a dentist in New York, did not return calls to The Christian Post seeking comment.
