A patient at MedStar Washington Hospital Center is dead after a "tragic interaction" with the hospital's security guards, and the D.C. hospital is not revealing many details about the incident, The Washington Post reported.
The incident occurred Sept. 29 and the patient died Oct. 1. A male patient reportedly left the hospital without being discharged or signing discharge papers. When a nurse and a security guard found the patient outside, they led him back to the building and transferred him to two security guards.
A struggle occurred and the patient was taken to the ground by the guards. One guard used "hand controls" to restrain the patient, and a nurse and rapid-response team had to resuscitate the patient, who was then taken to intensive care, the Post reported. The hospital did not release what the patient's injury was. The patient later died.
The hospital is not naming the patient or releasing further details about him because the family requested privacy.
According to a WUSA report, the guards involved in the incident are now on administrative leave. They are part of MedStar Washington Hospital Center Police, a force made up of 56 officers who have the authority to carry weapons, use arrest and make arrests.
"We are examining this entire event to see what we could have done better," said Arthur St. Andre, MD, a surgical care specialist at the hospital, during a news conference. "Our patients and community trust us to provide excellent, safe and secure care. An event like this causes us to pause and reflect."
In addition to the hospital's investigation, the Metropolitan Police Department and the Department of Health are also conducting their own investigations, WUSA reported.