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A 32-year-old is in custody after officers responded to reports of a person with a knife at St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital (STEGH) Thursday night, police say.
Officers, including members of the force’s critical response team, were called to the hospital’s emergency department about 8:30 p.m. following a report of an individual wielding a knife, St. Thomas police said.
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The area was evacuated and officers “de-escalated” the situation, police said, by deploying a taser, seizing the knife, arresting a suspect and providing mental health supports.
No charges had been laid Friday afternoon, police said.
The incident is still under investigation, police Chief Marc Roskamp said in a release, noting an increase in violence in hospitals in Ontario and across Canada.
St. Thomas police continue to “collaborate with STEGH on these concerning matters and (to) strengthen our shared commitments to ensure STEGH is a safe and secure environment,” he said, offering violence prevention strategies and aligning resources to enhance public safety and health-care delivery.
The incident follows a crash and shooting Dec. 14 at London’s Victoria Hospital, where police responded to reports of shots fired at the emergency room after a clash and possible gunfire near White Oak and Southdale roads.
Officers arrived to find shots had struck the building and a pickup that had crashed into a cement pillar, police said at the time. Officers found evidence a gun had been fired multiple times.
Investigators believe a man who entered hospital the same day with gunshot wounds drove from the area of the clash followed by the shooter.
Doneil Josiah Levy-Porter, 18, of Brampton faces numerous charges, including attempt to commit murder using a firearm.
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