Doctor, 2 nurses stabbed at Encino Hospital Medical Center
Three medical workers were stabbed at an Encino hospital off the 16200 block of Ventura Boulevard Friday afternoon and it then took police around four hours to get the stabbing suspect out of the hospital and into custody.
After responding to the call, a tactical team barricaded the man inside a closet and then had to force him out.
"So, our Special Weapons and Tactics Team deployed specialized equipment they have that limits the movements of a suspect. It allows them to approach in a more...in a safer manner and take the suspect into custody while having partial control of their body," an officer with LAPD told reporters.
According to Encino Hospital Medical Center, the victims were two nurses and one doctor. All three were transported to Northridge Hospital in critical condition, though some of the victims' conditions were later upgraded.
"Dignity Health Northridge Hospital Medical Center received three patients to our Level II Trauma Center suffering stab wounds from the incident at Encino Hospital Medical Center. All three patients are currently listed in stable condition," Christina Zicklin, spokesperson for Northridge Hospital Medical Center, said.
However, at the news conference outside the hospital in Encino, police said that one of the stabbing victims was in critical condition and undergoing surgery Friday evening.
The suspect was already known to officers and has previously been arrested for assaulting police.
On Saturday, LAPD identified the suspect as Ashkan Amirsoleymani, 35. He was booked on three counts of attempted murder and was being held on bail of $3 million.
Authorities also said that they believe the suspect walked into the hospital attempting to seek treatment for unknown reasons.
The man was taken into custody just after 8 p.m., when he was lead out of the hospital and placed into an ambulance. He was then taken to a hospital in Sherman Oaks where he was treated for what police said were self-inflicted wounds to his arms.
Authorities also said that they found a 3 or 4 inch knife that they believed he used to stab the three victims.
