Man charged after nurse attacked, security officer held at knifepoint at Miramichi hospital
Miramichi Canada June 20 2020
A man has been charged with assault with a weapon after a nurse was allegedly attacked by a patient at the Miramichi Regional Hospital on Thursday night and a security officer was held at knifepoint.
Officers with the Miramichi Police Force responded to a weapons complaint at the hospital at around 8:30 p.m., said Const. Neil Fitzgerald.
“A nurse had been assaulted by a patient with a knife, and a security officer was being held at knifepoint against their will,” he said.
Fitzgerald declined to say which unit of the hospital the incident occurred in, citing the continuing investigation.
He also declined to say whether the nurse and security officer were male or female, citing privacy.
“It was a pretty traumatic situation, I would suggest, for … everyone involved.”
Police tried to limit the number of people in the immediate area and called in a crisis negotiator, said Fitzgerald.
After nearly two hours of negotiations, the suspect attempted to leave the hospital with the security guard, he said, declining to offer any other details.
“I’m not at liberty to discuss that, not at this time.”
An officer used a Taser to incapacitate the suspect and that ended the situation without further incident.
Fitzgerald declined to discuss the nature or severity of the nurse’s injuries.
“The person’s gonna be OK,” he said, adding the individual is not hospitalized.
The security officer was uninjured, he said.
A 33-year-old man from South Esk appeared in Miramichi provincial court on Friday and was charged with assault with a weapon.
He was remanded into custody.
Police expect to lay additional charges in the coming days, said Fitzgerald.
