TORRANCE, Calif. (AP) - A patient breaking equipment in a Southern California hospital was shot and wounded in a confrontation with a sheriff’s deputy, authorities said Wednesday.
The incident occurred around 11:15 p.m. Tuesday at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center near Torrance, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.
Deputies working a security detail at the hospital were alerted to an incident in a room where a patient, a man between 30 and 40 years of age, was destroying medical equipment and attempting to smash a window with a metal medical device, the statement said.
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A deputy was assisting medical staff by moving other patients when the patient causing the disturbance “turned his attention on the deputy,” the statement said.
“At that point, a deputy-involved shooting occurred. The patient was struck by gunfire and was immediately treated on scene. He is currently in critical condition,” it said.
Deputies, other patients and medical staff were not injured.
Harbor-UCLA is one of LA County’s Level 1 trauma centers, has more than 500 beds and is affiliated with the UCLA School of Medicine. It is located in an unincorporated area between the cities of Torrance and Carson.