'I know she wanted out' | Indiana medic recognizes woman's hand signal for 'help'

BEECH GROVE, Ind. — A hand signal – and the medics who recognized it – are credited with saving a woman in a domestic violence situation early Monday morning in Beech Grove.

Rodney Hamm has been a paramedic for 20 years and has responded to several situations involving domestic violence, but this one was a little bit different.

Around 1:40 a.m. Oct. 14, Hamm was sent to the Churchman Woods Senior Apartments, near East Churchman and Emerson avenues, for a medical alarm going off in one of the apartments. When a 73-year-old woman answered the door, she said she didn't realize it was going off. Hamm noticed a young woman looking very upset but couldn't say anything.

"She was able to get her hand out the door, and she did a hand gesture, which of all things, I learned on TikTok about it. It's a hand gesture that means they need help," Hamm said.

While that hand sign hasn't been officially recognized as a sign of domestic violence, it has been widely spread on social media for people to know when they see that sign that someone needs help.

Hamm and his partner radioed for police after recognizing the signal.

Court documents say when they were in the lobby waiting for police, the medical alarm went off again.

"We're assuming, like, she pulled the alarm to get help because the lady that lived there didn't know the alarm was going off. So all I can think of is the young lady who needed help pulled the alarm to get help," Hamm said.

According to court documents, the young woman was hitting the button again, hoping for medics to come back and help her. 

Beech Grove police were able to get into the apartment. The young woman told police they had returned from Chicago, but when she tried to leave, her 31-year-old fiancé and his mother wouldn't let her.

She said her fiancé's mother physically restrained her and her fiancé assaulted her. Police were able to see scratches and bruises on the young woman.

"I know she wanted out. I hope she never has to go through anything like that again," Hamm said.

Police arrested the 31-year-old man, and prosecutors charged him with criminal confinement, domestic battery, battery resulting in bodily injury and interference with reporting of a crime.

Police arrested the 73-year-old woman, and prosecutors charged her with criminal confinement, battery resulting in bodily injury and interference with reporting of a crime.