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Armed hospital visitor takes security officers hostage in CA

Healthcare Security Weekly, March 21, 2004

A man is in custody after allegedly taking a handgun into a Chico, CA, hospital and holding two security officers hostage last week, the Associated Press reports. There were no injuries.

Christopher Berry, 34, was arrested and may face charges of kidnapping, assault, and brandishing a weapon in a threatening manner.

Last Sunday night, Berry entered Enloe Medical Center and demanded emergency room staff to let him see his son, who had undergone an emergency appendectomy.

When staff told Berry couldn't see his son, due to "extenuating circumstances," he became angry and pulled out the gun, the Associated Press reports.

Berry allegedly pointed the gun at several Enloe employees, then shouted at two approaching security guards to "get down," the Associated Press reports. Then Berry allegedly took two unarmed security officers hostage at gunpoint, holding them in a stairwell for a few hours. Eventually the two officers convinced Berry to give up a hostage-at which point Berry dropped the gun and turned himself in.

"The security guards involved in the incident did an exceptional job and acted courageously," hospital spokesperson Ann Prater told the Associated Press. "They kept a bad situation from getting worse."

The hospital disruption called for a lockdown of the facility but didn't disturb other work in the area, Prater says.

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