A physician at the hospital alerted security after he saw a man carrying what was believed to be a rifle in a backpack. Security guards were concerned the object was a weapon and reviewed a surveillance video. When the image proved inconclusive, the hospital went on immediate lockdown.
Kirkland police officers searched the hospital room-by-room to find the man. During this time, the hospital released a surveillance image of the man on social media.
When the man saw the image of himself on social media, he contacted the Kirkland Police Department and said he was not carrying a rifle, but was carrying an umbrella that looks like a sword, according to the report.
Police confirmed the object in question was an umbrella. The lockdown has been lifted.
“We have located the gentleman in question and the unidentifiable object was confirmed to be an umbrella with a handle that is shaped like a sword,” EvergreenHealth tweeted. “We took all necessary steps to exercise absolute caution to keep our patients, visitors, staff and community safe.”
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