Overview
- Police arrested a 45-year-old patient Monday after an alleged sharp-object assault on another patient inside the Nichols Building detox unit run by Beth Israel Lahey Health.
- The suspect is scheduled for arraignment Tuesday in Lowell District Court after police reported no serious injuries.
- The incident is the fourth violent episode on the hospital’s campus since April 7, according to local police and news reports.
- Earlier this month the hospital barred security from carrying pepper gel, batons or handcuffs, a shift officials said fits a therapeutic model but nurses and local leaders say weakens safety.
- Following the recent assaults, a town selectman said Gov. Maura Healey asked Public Safety Secretary Gina Kwon to address the hospital’s security concerns.