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Encino Hospital Medical Center. | Photo courtesy of JGKlein/Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
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A man was in custody Saturday after allegedly stabbing a doctor and two nurses at Encino Hospital Medical Center, then barricading himself inside a hospital room for more than four hours.
Police were called to an area near the hospital in the 16200 block of Ventura Boulevard on reports of a possible collision at 3 p.m. Friday, according to Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton of the Los Angeles Police Department.
Responding units discovered that no collision occurred, but learned at the scene that a person who was “involved in the potential traffic collision” had entered the hospital, Hamilton said. An investigation yielded no evidence of a crime.
LAPD officers were again called to the area at about 3:50 p.m. on reports of an assault with a deadly weapon suspect armed with a knife inside the hospital.
According to the LAPD, one doctor and two nurses were stabbed. All three were removed from the Encino hospital and taken by ambulance to Dignity Health Northridge Hospital Medical Center. That hospital issued a statement confirming they were being treated at the medical center’s Level II Trauma Center, and “all three patients are currently listed in stable condition.”
A large contingent of police and firefighters descended on the scene, including a SWAT team, amassing in the street outside the hospital. The suspect, identified only as a man, remained barricaded inside the hospital as evening fell, and police evacuated the first floor of the hospital and adjacent offices.
The LAPD confirmed about 8:15 p.m. Friday that SWAT officers managed to apprehend the suspect.
An officer at the scene told reporters that the suspect’s identity was known to authorities, that he has had several run-ins with police in the past and has been arrested twice in the past for assaulting police officers. His most recent arrest occurred last year, police said.
The suspect walked into the hospital and was attempting to seek treatment, although the reason was unknown, police said.
No further details were immediately available.
Updated June 4, 2022, 9:54 a.m.
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