Elk City, OK – A Beckham County man is facing multiple charges after an incident at a local hospital escalated into assaults on medical staff and law enforcement, according to Beckham County Sheriff Derek Manning.
Sheriff Manning said deputies were assisting another agency when they transported an intoxicated individual to the hospital for treatment. While medical staff attempted to care for the man, the situation quickly turned violent.
“The guy ended up kicking a nurse or hitting a nurse,” Manning said. “He also assaulted one of the ambulance workers that was there, and then he kicked my deputy in the face and jaw.”
The deputy was able to regain control of the suspect and place him back into custody. The man has now been charged not only with his original offense, believed to be public intoxication, but also with assaulting healthcare workers and assault and battery on a law enforcement officer.
Manning emphasized the seriousness of the incident and noted that Oklahoma law carries specific penalties for attacks on healthcare workers.
“It’s why we stay there with them,” Manning said. “If there’s any chance they might get out of hand, we’re leery of leaving.”
The sheriff added that deputies sometimes leave patients at the hospital when staff indicate it is safe to do so, but in this case, the deputy’s decision to remain on scene prevented further harm.
“Fortunately he did stay,” Manning said. “The situation did get a little bit out of control for a minute, and we had to take it back in hand.”
The investigation remains ongoing, and formal charges are pending through the court system.
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