Police are investigating a disturbance Tuesday afternoon allegedly caused by one or more armed people in Grady Memorial Hospital’s emergency room.
One person was initially taken into custody soon after police were called to the scene, and police and hospital security personnel questioned two more people.
No weapon was ever located and no witnesses came forward to report seeing a gun, Atlanta Police spokesman Officer John Chafee told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“The (initial) report came from Grady security personnel” reporting from witnesses, Chafee said.
Robert Daniels, witnessed the incident and said it started with an altercation at the McDonald’s adjacent to the hospital.
“A group of guys were arguing in the McDonald’s, and (about three or four) chased one guy out of the restaurant and into the hospital,” Daniels told the AJC. “The guy got on the elevator, and the other guys got on with him.”
Chafee said police took into custody a man who matched the description of the alleged armed person.
“He gave a false name,” Chafee said of the suspect. “It turned out he was wanted on an outstanding warrant and we arrested him.”
At some point after the man was placed into the back of a police squad car, an officer opened the door and the man lunged out.
A half-dozen officers converged on the man and he was wrestled to the ground, face-down, his arms bound behind his back and plastic cuffs bound around his ankles.
The man has not been identified.
Another man and a woman were also taken into custody, but the second man was released after about 20 minutes.
Chafee said the woman gave a false name and remained in custody. And he said no weapon was ever located.
Chafee said investigators reviewed video footage that showed a group of men running inside the hospital, but offered “inconclusive video” of any weapons.
“It’s unclear if (footage of the men running) was related to the report of armed persons,” he said.
About the Author
