LOS ANGELES (Washington Insider Magazine) – Authorities say a man attacked 2 nurses and a doctor inside a Southern California hospital emergency unit and then hid in a room for hours before being apprehended by police.
Officer Drake Madison of the Los Angeles Police Department said the man strolled into Encino Hospital Medical Center in the San Fernando Valley sometime before 4 p.m. Friday.
Authorities claimed the man abandoned his vehicle in the middle of a road and headed to the emergency unit, where he requested anxiety therapy before attacking the nurses and doctor.
Three people were rushed to a trauma hospital in critical condition, according to fire authorities. One of the victims was later identified as being in severe condition and undergoing surgery, according to police.
At Dignity Health Northridge Hospital Medical Center, all 3 were later reported in stable condition.
According to authorities, the first floor of the Encino hospital, as well as several adjoining offices, were evacuated.
At a press conference, LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton stated that there was no proof that the individual knew the victims.
The man waited in a hospital room for nearly 4 hours while SWAT team members attempted unsuccessfully to negotiate with him before being apprehended, according to police.
Authorities claimed he was brought to another medical facility for treatment of self-inflicted arm injuries.
The man’s name was not revealed right away, but Hamilton said he had a long criminal history, including 2 arrests for violence on a police official and resisting arrest last year.
Benjamin Roman, an ultrasound specialist, told KNBC-TV that he spotted the man, with a dog and appeared to be on drugs as he was agitated and sweating profusely, before the stabbing.
Roman said he witnessed a nurse and a doctor who were attacked after the hospital triggered an “internal triage” alarm.
The incident comes only 2 days after a shooter opened fire on a hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, killing 4 people before turning the pistol on himself. Authorities claimed the shooter entered a structure on the Saint Francis Hospital premises with little difficulty, just hours after purchasing an AR-style rifle.
At a medical facility, the man murdered his surgeon and 3 other people. He blamed his doctor for his ongoing agony following a recent back surgery.
