Woman in Crisis Armed With Knife Prompts ER Lockdown at Mayo Clinic Hospital
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- Rochester Police arrested a woman in crisis who was armed with a knife at a Mayo Clinic hospital Tuesday night.
That’s according to Lt. Jennifer Hodgeman, who said the situation prompted a lockdown in the hospital’s emergency department. The woman was reported to have been holding a knife to her own throat.
The incident occurred at St. Mary’s Hospital around 8:30 p.m. Hodgeman said the woman, identified as 24-year-old Siara Pries of Rochester, had walked through the hospital's security area and was threatening to kill herself and others unless she received assistance.
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website. Resource information is provided for free as well as a chat message service. To speak directly to a professional, call 988. You are not alone and help is available. Every life is important.
The Rochester Police Department staffs St. Mary’s Hospital with Hospital Resource Officers. Hodgeman said those officers brought the Pries to the ground and disarmed her shortly after she walked in.
No injuries were reported. Pries was evaluated at the hospital then arrested on suspicion of second-degree assault and terroristic threats once she was medically cleared, according to the police report.
Hodgeman said local law enforcement deals with mental health calls on a daily basis and that the Rochester Police Department trains officers in Crisis Intervention.
The department and the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office also share a resource called Community Outreach Specialists, who are social workers that assist police in aiding individuals experiencing a mental health crisis.
Rochester Police Department Spokesperson Amanda Grayson says last year the specialists responded to 2,030 calls and that 54% of the calls involved a mental health situation.
The specialists relieved officers of 1,447 calls in 2023, Grayson said.
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Gallery Credit: T.J. Leverentz
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