LHSC employee hit with a hammer and assaulted with a knife

A London man is in custody after an employee at Victoria Hospital was hit with a hammer and assaulted with a knife on Thursday afternoon, according to police.

Just before 2 p.m., police say a witness saw a man enter the hospital on Commissioners Road carrying both a knife and a hammer.

The witness notified hospital security staff then continued to follow the suspect as he bypassed the checkpoint at the front desk and approached a male employee.

Police say the suspect struck the employee with the hammer and proceeded to assault the victim with a knife, causing serious, but non-life threatening injuries. The victim and suspect were not known to each other.

The victim fled from the suspect and hospital security arrested the man who was turned over to London police.

“Every situation is different. We can say that the individual who witnessed this, they did the right thing, they contacted security immediately, and they provided all of the information needed in order to have that arrest take place very quickly," said London police Const. Sandasha Bough.

“We always say ‘if you see something, say something.’ Let us know immediately, and don’t ever put yourself in a position where you could be potentially injured yourself.” 

CTV News spoke with the President of the Ontario Nurses Association, Cathryn Hoy who says, "It’s terrible, but you know this happens each and every day across Ontario, and I’m pretty darn sure every other province in Canada. It’s sad.”

Hoy goes on to say that metal detectors should be put in place at hospital check points.

“That’s your first line of defence if someone walks through the door. If it’s good enough for a concert, it’s good enough for a government building, then it’s good enough for health care.”

According to a statement provided to CTV News from LHSC, no patients were injured during the incident.

“Everyone deserves to feel safe when they come to work and LHSC is taking this situation very seriously. At this time, we are focusing on the wellness of our staff and physicians, recognizing the impact this incident may have on them,” reads the statement.