Confrontation with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue caught on camera

Confrontation between man, MDFR captain causing controversy

MIAMI-DADE, Fla. – A confrontation between a citizen-journalist and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue was caught on camera at a southwest Miami-Dade rescue scene.

On Thursday, a rescue helicopter made a landing in a field near Coral Reef Senior High School to pick up a victim who was stabbed at an area nursing home.

Taylor Hardy, who also writes for a website, said he pulled over to shoot video of the scene.

"So I took my iPad out, I start recording," said Hardy.

Several minutes into Hardy's video, a pair of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue paramedics walk across the field to him and tell him he has to leave.

One paramedic, who identifies himself as Captain Smart, starts yelling.

"Turn around and walk away! Turn around and walk away!" he yells.

WATCH: RAW video of confrontation

"He's in my face. I mean, that doesn't happen every day from a firefighter. A captain, at that, of a fire department," Taylor said.

The paramedic continues to block the lens of Taylor's iPad and orders him to leave.

"This is a fire department scene. You need to step back, sir," the paramedic said.

Thursday's incident is under investigation, according to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.

A department spokesman told Local 10 on the phone that keeping people back is a safety measure, and whomever is in charge on scene will typically decide how close is too close to risk getting slapped with flying debris from a rescue helicopter.

Taylor said he was about 200 feet away and within his rights.

"It's not public safety. It's not interference. If you're in a public place, people should be encouraged to exercise their Constitutional right to take pictures of what our public officials are doing," said Howard Simon with the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.

"Maybe he was having a bad day. Maybe he was just stressed out, over the edge," said Taylor. "But you're a captain at the end of the day. You have a responsibility to the public."