HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014 11-02 St. John's hospital patient dies after attacking nurses PIONEER PRESS St. John's hospital patient dies after
attacking nurses
Pioneer Press
POSTED 11/02201412:01:00 AM CDT I UPDATED: ABOUT 10 HOURS AGO
The patient wasn't known to be violent.
But early Sunday morning,a 6S-year-old man picked up a metal bar at St.John's Hospital in
Maplewood and went on a rampage.
Running down a hall,he struck four nurses.One suffered a collapsed lung,another a broken wrist.
The others came away with cuts,bruises and scrapes.
Then the patient fled the building.
Three blocks away,law enforcement officers caught up with him.A Taser was unleashed.A scuffle
ensued.And then the man was dead.
The incident began about 2 a.m.Sunday,involving a patient who"had been suffering confusion
and perhaps some level of delusion or paranoia"as a result of his medical condition,Maplewood
Police Chief Paul Schnell said.
Schnell said the patient grabbed a metal pipe or bar used to attach equipment to a hospital bed.
He said the man struck staff members repeatedly.
"He...literally chased them while swinging this long pole,or bar,"Schnell said.
Schnell said it's not known what triggered the attack and he didn't know why the man was
hospitalized.But violent behavior"we're told,is not a part of his history,"he said.
Officers chased down the man and tased him when he refused to drop the bar.The patient was
tackled and handcuffed but moments later went limp,Schnell said.
The man was given CPR and was rushed back to St.John's.
The Ramsey County medical examiner's office was investigating the cause of death.
Advertisement The man's name was not released pending
A new sight in Stillwater family notification.
"Everyone knew he was struggling,but certainly
no one expected a violent episode,"Schnell said
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Two Ramsey County deputies and a Maplewood
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r://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_26851000/st john