A doctor and two nurses were stabbed Friday at Encino Hospital Medical Center, and authorities were attempting to arrest the suspect, who was barricaded inside a small room inside the hospital.
Los Angeles police officers were called about 3:50 p.m. to the hospital in the 16200 block of Ventura Boulevard on reports of a stabbing, said LAPD Officer Drake Madison.
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.”
During a news conference outside the Encino hospital, police said one of the victims was in critical condition and was undergoing surgery early Friday evening.
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.
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.