Man with hatchet dressed as hospital employee allegedly tried to steal patient information, police say
SEATTLE -- A man armed with a rusty hatchet dressed up in Virginia Mason employee clothing and targeted filing cabinets to obtain patient information at the downtown hospital, according to King County charging documents, CBS affiliate KIRO reports.
According to the charging documents released to KIRO 7 News on Wednesday, Dominick Allen stole the information to commit identity theft and other fraud.
According to Seattle police’s report, a Virginia Mason engineer was investigating an alarm early in the morning on Oct. 28 and found an opened security box along with scattered papers on the floor. The engineer notified hospital security.
When a security officer confronted Allen, he punched the security officer in the face. The security guard was able to detain Allen.
Allen struggled, stated other people were inside “armed with guns,” and threatened other security officers.
Officers found patient cards and records in Allen’s possession, in addition to his hatchet and a knife.
Prosecutors said Allen has eight prior convictions including burglary- and forgery-related charges.