Overview

• At about 2 a.m. on August 25, a 34-year-old under psychiatric care took a guard’s pistol in the emergency department of Ospedale Apuane in Massa and threatened roughly twenty people.
• A security guard and a colleague who happened to be in the ER as a patient intervened and recovered the weapon as medical staff moved others to safety.
• Police arrived shortly after the alert from clinicians, and the man was returned to the psychiatric service area for care and observation following a search and evaluation.
• Hospital director Giuliano Biselli said the episode caused great fear for patients and staff, thanking the guards and law enforcement for their prompt response.
• Officials began an internal assessment of the incident and will seek formal accountability from the private security provider, and the man was reported to authorities.