Houma Louisiana man charged with flashing gun at hospital security
Houma LA Jan 21 2018
A 47-year-old Houma man arguing with medical staff over a doctor’s appointment was arrested Tuesday after flashing a handgun, Houma police said.
According to Sgt. Travis Theriot, Joseph Charles Grimm Jr., of West Park Avenue, demanded to see a doctor Tuesday in an office at Terrebonne General Medical Center.
When doctor’s office employees told the suspect his appointment wasn’t until Wednesday, he didn’t take it very well, Theriot said.
“He was wanting to see the doctor at that time but his appointment wasn’t until the following day,” Theriot said. “It wasn’t an emergency. He just didn’t want to wait the extra day. He became irate and started arguing with the office personnel.”
Security officers were alerted to the disturbance and asked Grimm to leave the facility and come back on the day of his scheduled appointment, police said.
Houma resident Mona Hall, who said she witnessed the incident, said the suspect became irate when medical staff told him he couldn’t refill his medication.
“It got really ugly,” Hall said. “He started cursing out the staff and saying he was a combat veteran who would have died for all of us.”
As the suspect was escorted out of the building, he lifted his shirt to show he was armed with a handgun that was tucked into the waist band of his pants, authorities said.
“I was fearful because it was a little bitty security guard that was with him,” Hall said. “I’m freaking out thinking he was going to get away from him and start shooting because he was very upset. I was hysterical by this point.”
Houma police were called to investigate the incident and searched for the suspect as they patrolled the area.
“I saw a bunch of cops and an ambulance heading toward the medical center and that freaked me out because I didn’t know if he went back up there to start shooting people,” Hall said. “Something just wasn’t right about him. My concern was the staff and for my sister who was still in the office.”
After police located Grimm, they took the suspect into custody without incident and found a 9mm semiautomatic handgun tucked into his pants, Theriot said.
Grimm was charged with illegal carrying of a firearm and was transported to the Terrebonne Parish jail. No injuries were reported.
His bond was set at $500.
