California hospital stabbing: Doctor, nurses inside emergency ward; man arrested

A person stabbed a physician and two nurses inside a Southern California hospital emergency ward on Friday and remained inside a room for hours earlier than police arrested him, authorities mentioned.

The man walked into Encino Hospital Medical Center within the San Fernando Valley shortly earlier than 4 pm, Los Angeles police Officer Drake Madison mentioned.

The man had parked his automobile in the course of a road and went to the emergency room, the place he requested for therapy for nervousness earlier than stabbing the physician and nurses, authorities mentioned.

Fire officers mentioned three victims have been taken to a trauma heart in vital situation. Police later mentioned one was in vital situation and underwent surgical procedure.

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All three have been later listed in secure situation at Dignity Health Northridge Hospital Medical Center.

The first ground of the Encino hospital and a few close by places of work have been evacuated, police mentioned.

“We’ve moved patients out of the danger zone,” LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton mentioned at a information convention. There was no proof that the person knew his victims, Hamilton added.

The man remained inside a room within the hospital for about 4 hours as SWAT workforce members tried to unsuccessfully to barter with him earlier than he was lastly arrested, police mentioned.

The man’s identify wasn’t instantly launched, however Hamilton mentioned he had a prolonged felony report, together with two arrests final yr for battery of a police officer and resisting arrest.

Benjamin Roman, an ultrasound technician, advised KNBC-TV that earlier than the stabbing, he noticed the person, who had a canine with him and who might need been excessive on medication as a result of he seemed anxious and was drenched in sweat.

After the hospital issued an “internal triage” code, Roman mentioned he noticed a physician and a nurse who had been stabbed.

“The doctor looked (like) she was in pain,” he mentioned. “There was a lot of blood and it looked like … he might have got her abdomen.”

The assault comes solely two days after a gunman killed 4 folks after which himself at a hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The assailant obtained inside a constructing on the Saint Francis Hospital campus with little hassle, simply hours after shopping for an AR-style rifle, authorities mentioned.

The man killed his surgeon and three different folks at a medical workplace. He blamed the physician for his persevering with ache after a current again operation.