Patient charged following stabbing in Belleville Hospital ER

A 42-year-old Belleville, Ont. man is facing charges after a security guard was stabbed in a hospital emergency department Tuesday afternoon, according to police.

Officers with the Belleville Police Service responded to calls from the Belleville General Hospital at 12:20 p.m. about a person that had been threatening staff with a knife and then stabbed a security guard.

The suspect had visited the emergency department for a health issue and was waiting on a hallway bed, according to police.

“The male became agitated and began to cause a disturbance. When approached by hospital staff, the suspect advised that he had a knife and threatened to stab staff,” Belleville Police said in a statement.

“The suspect then brandished a knife. Staff disengaged and began to create space. Two on-site security officers attended and physically engaged the male attempting to disarm him of the knife. While doing so, one security guard and the suspect both sustained stab wounds to their leg.”

The suspect and the security guard were treated for injuries.

The suspect is facing charges of uttering threats to cause bodily harm and death, assault, assault with a weapon, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and intimidation of a health care professional.