Police in Maplewood, Minnesota have released shocking CCTV footage showing a patient violently attacking hospital staff with a large metal pole in a fit of rage shortly before his death.
A 68-year-old male used a metal rod, which had been connected to his bed frame at the Health East St. John’s Hospital, to terrorise staff at a nursing station.
The patient fled the scene, however police caught up with him a short distance form the hospital and stunned him with a taser gun. Officers then brought him to the ground to arrest him but quickly released that the man had stopped breathing.
Chief of Police Paul Schnell said: “Immediately after that, he went limp. Officers turned him over and they realised he stopped breathing. They checked for pulse, he did not have one”.
Schnell explained that the man had exhibited “some signs of paranoia. He did believe people were out to get him” at the time of the attack.
Eight nurses suffered minor injuries in the incident that occurred last weekend, with one suffering from a collapsed lung.
“One of the challenges… is that the vast majority of patients, just like the vast majority of people that police officers encounter, represent absolutely no danger,” Schnell added.
“But there are these unique circumstances.”
The CCTV footage can be watched below. Some readers may find the videos distressing.
Part I
Part II
