WILLMAR, Minn. – A Willmar man is charged with two counts of felony assault after police say he stabbed an employee multiple times Monday in the ER at CentraCare Rice Hospital.
According to court documents, officers were dispatched for an “out-of-control patient who was being combative.” They found hospital staff trying to secure Darrick Whelan, 31, in a restraint chair.
Multiple witnesses said Whelan suddenly came out of his room and immediately attacked the 53-year-old woman, who was sitting in a chair and couldn’t retreat because it was pushed up against medical equipment. The victim was stabbed in the breast, left chest, left shoulder, and left forearm.
“Events like this are happening far too frequently at healthcare facilities around the country, and we are not immune,” CentraCare spokesperson Karna Fronden said.
Whelan’s next court hearing is June 11.
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