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Patient Attempts To Grab Officer's Gun At Lynn Hospital

LYNN (CBS) – Police quickly averted danger inside a Lynn hospital when a patient attempted to grab an officer's gun.

Two Lynn Police officers were guarding a 27-year-old man Saturday morning as he was being medically treated for an undisclosed illness at Union Hospital. The man broke off a bed railing he was handcuffed to and tried to run.

The man, whose name was not released, tried to grab the officer's gun, prompting the hospital to activate its armed intruder alert. A struggle ensued. The incident occurred about 7:40 a.m.

North Shore Medical Center
North Shore Medical Center. (Image Credit: Lisa Gresci/WBZ-TV)

Lynn Police say they were able to subdue the suspect within seconds. There was initial confusion when hospital personnel incorrectly thought someone was armed on campus.

No one was injured during the incident. Police say at no time was the man, loose in the hospital with a gun.

Those who live in the area said they're thankful the situation wasn't worse.

"It's really scary. We never really have stuff like that happen so close," one woman said. "I'm happy they answered to it so quickly. It makes me feel a lot better about the situation."

The man was being held on home invasion charges for a Friday arrest. He will now be arraigned Monday on additional charges.

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