Hospital patient assaults medic, steals gun from cop

A patient at a hospital in southern Israel on Tuesday assaulted a medic and then stole the gun from a police officer at the scene before being apprehended, police said.

Police said the incident at the Assuta Medical Center in Ashdod was not nationalistically motivated. The man appeared to be mentally unstable, police said.

The patient had been brought to the hospital from a nearby gas station by medics from the Magen David Adom emergency service to receive further treatment for an undisclosed injury.

“Upon arriving at the hospital, the man ran amok, assaulted a medic and snatched a weapon from one of the security guards at the scene,” police said.

A large force was mobilized after the suspect fled the hospital. Officers brought him to a halt by firing shots in the air, then apprehended him, police said.

The suspect was transferred to police custody for further questioning.

The incident follows several severe cases of violence toward health workers, including a nurse who was set on fire and killed by an elderly Holocaust survivor who was upset with his treatment.