Encino hospital stabbing leaves 3 medical staff in critical condition, including doctor and two nurse with suspect barricaded inside.
A man entered a hospital in Encino, Los Angeles on Friday and stabbed three medical professionals, officials said.
The man was armed with a knife when he entered Encino Hospital Medical Center around 3:50 p.m., LAPD spokesman Officer Drake Madison said.
A doctor and two staff nurses were stabbed and transported to a trauma center, a representative for the hospital said.
They suffered what were described as critical injuries, but officials stressed the information was preliminary the Latimes reported.
The assailant barricaded themselves inside a room at the hospital, leading to the evacuation of the medical facility by officials. It wasn’t until 5pm local time that the assailant was arrested after a SWAT team had been sent inside CBS Los Angeles reported.
UPDATE: A slashing suspect is barricaded @ the Encino Hospital Medical Center ER after stabbing 3 victims, all in critical condition. pic.twitter.com/zBgfit9Mb6
— Chris Cristi (@abc7chriscristi) June 3, 2022
It remained unclear how the individual managed to enter the hospital un-announced and whether he had specifically targeted his victims or whether they were randomly stabbed.
No known motive for the alleged attack was immediately known.
The incident comes just days after a gunman opened gunfire at a hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, killing four people. In that case, police said the gunman, who killed himself, was targeting a doctor.
Authorities continue to investigate.
