Hostage situation reported at Tomball Regional Medical Center

[Bosonic]

Last edited Sat Jan 10, 2015, 10:27 PM - Edit history (3)

Source: Click2Houston

TOMBALL, Texas -

The Harris County Sheriff's Office is responding to a hostage situation at the Tomball Regional Medical Center on 605 Holderrieth Blvd. on Saturday.

A man is holding at least two people hostage, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Authorities say that preliminary information indicates the man is the father of a patient and is distraught. It is unknown if he is armed.

Read more: http://www.click2houston.com/news/hostage-situation-reported-at-tomball-hospital/30636764

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Eyewitness: Man takes hostages at Texas hospital after staff informs him of intention to remove relative from life support.

https://twitter.com/MKLNews/status/554098150802083840

[NaturalHigh]

1. That's scary.

I hope everyone gets out okay. So far I haven't seen any other links.

[herding cats]

3. I found it on KHOU in Houston, also

It's still just a snippet saying the same as the above link.

http://www.khou.com/story/news/crime/2015/01/10/gunman-takes-hostages-at-tomball-hospital/21573687/

[herding cats]

2. They had something like this back in September too

It was a person trying to rob the pharmacy.

[NaturalHigh]

4. Inside the hospital? That's pretty brazen.

I would think a local 24-hour place like a Walgreens would be an easier target.

[herding cats]

6. You'd think, but stupid people do stupid things.

It was three guys then and they took a mother and her kids hostage. I don't know what they could have been thinking.

[Warpy]

12. Addicts who are getting drug sick don't tend to think too clearly

Obviously, the correct thing to do in this case is for the pharmy to hand them a dose of drugs after the panic button alerting the cops is pressed, taking his time to do it, dropping the keys, etc. Calm the perp (they do calm down quickly when they know drugs are on the way) and wait for the cops to show up.

Risking lives to protect the drugs is just plain stupid. This is how stupid the drug war is, though.

[herding cats]

14. Very true.

The drug war has made a mess out of our society, and Mexico's too for that matter.

[ScreamingMeemie]

18. Slow down... it is the distraught father of a patient.

That was in September. This is now. No drugs appear to be involved.

[ScreamingMeemie]

7. That was Kindred Hospital, a transitional center behind the medical center.

He actually took hostages in an apartment complex nearby, and the pharmacy was actually in a building of doctor's offices.

[herding cats]

9. Ah, thanks for the info!

I have friends down that way and was going by what they said when I texted them.

[ScreamingMeemie]

10. No problem. What's really weird is that this area is two steps from farmland.

Tomball is pretty small and only just now getting built up.

[herding cats]

13. Funny you should say that about farmland.

My friends have a small working farm down there. They say it's growing too fast for their liking, but any growth rate would be too fast for them. They bought the place about 10 years ago so they could leave the city behind. They're already talking about relocating.

[tblue37]

23. The story says the gunman is a distraught father of a patient. He and his son are

in the son's hospital room.

[ScreamingMeemie]

5. I was just on 249 across the street. There is a larger than average police presence at the moment.

This is par for the course for Texas, but they are closing down the roads.

[onehandle]

8. How are they doing this? Sharpened tongue depressor? Green Jello?

Wait... I'll come to me...

[GGJohn]

11. What fucking difference does it make?

Oh yeah, you have an agenda.
No concern from you about the safety of the hostages, just your usual anti gun screed.

[Dreamer Tatum]

16. Maybe with the other item you find objectionable, a phone not made by Apple. nt

[840high]

20. WTF.

[Archae]

15. There's a pharmacy about 2 blocks from my place...

In the past couple months they've had a masked robber hold it up 3 times now.

He took money and drugs.

[ScreamingMeemie]

17. ****Update****It's the father of a patient

http://www.khou.com/story/news/crime/2015/01/10/gunman-takes-hostages-at-tomball-hospital/21573687/

[herding cats]

19. That's so sad.

A terrible situation for everyone all the way around.

[erpowers]

21. No Longer a Hostage Situation

The man is barricaded in his son's hospital room. He is upset about his son's health condition. Police are reporting that the hospital is safe and that all the patients are safe. The police can't confirm whether or not the man is armed. Police are talking to the man. The floor on which the man is located has been restricted. People on that floor are being asked to stay in their rooms and keep the doors closed. Police are not saying what, if anything, the man is demanding.

[NBachers]

22. Yeah, you know, it's a dad who's distraught because his kid is gonna die- Have a heart for the guy

[tblue37]

24. Since my daughter is a doctor in Houston and spends some of her time in the

ER in a hospital there (not her main job, but she does a few shifts a week), as soon as I first saw this OP I hurried to call her to make sure it was not her hospital.

It wasn't, and in fact she was at home and hadn't even heard of the situation, but a friend of hers works at that hospital, so she immediately texted him to make sure he was okay. He was at home and fine, but he hadn't heard of the situation yet, either.

DU sure is on top of the news!

[Skittles]

25. I heard it involved a child being taken off life support

I hope the man receives help

[tblue37]

26. Oh, how sad. In most states a hospital can remove a patient from life support against the

family's wishes if there has been an independent diagnosis of brain death--and many family's never can accept that their loved ones are gone. Remember Jahi McMath, that little girl who was brain dead at the end of 2013 after a surgery? Her mother moved her to a New Jersey hospital because NJ is one of the few states that will allow a family to reject a diagnosis of brain death.

My guess is that is what was going on here. The father cannot accept that his child is really gone and is trying to prevent them from turning off the life support machines.

[Skittles]

27. they took him into custody but I see nothing about him being charged

I hope he gets grief counseling