Actor Accused of Attacking Las Vegas Hospital Employees

Las Vegas, NV (WorkersCompensation.com) – A Hollywood actor, known for roles as a beach-loving teenager, was arrested last week for allegedly attacking hospital employees in Las Vegas.

Originally reported by TMZ, Outer Banks star Austin North was arrested Feb. 13 after he allegedly attacked several staffers in the emergency department of the University Medical Center hospital. Officers with the Las Vegas Police Department were dispatched to the hospital for reports of a patient assaulting staff members there.

According to reports, North was in the emergency department complaining of chest pains when he began assaulting several nurses and a phlebotomist. The actor allegedly punched a nurse in the head and shoved another in the face before pushing the phlebotomist into a table. Police reports indicate that the phlebotomist acted in self-defense and allegedly used a nearby tray to hit the actor in the head.

Later, the actor attacked another hospital employee, reports indicate, but that employee’s role at the hospital was not immediately clear. Hospital security was able to restrain North and handcuff him to a gurney. He was reportedly read his Miranda rights and arrested for battery. He was later released on bail.

North later issues a statement on his Instagram page addressing the incident where he claimed to have been experiencing a severe anxiety attack.

“I am deeply upset by the events that took place in Las Vegas this past week,” he wrote on the social media platform. “My friend drove me to the hospital because I thought I was having a heart attack. Several tests were taken, including blood, which came back negative for any drugs or alcohol in my system. I was having a severe anxiety attack."

North said he had very little memory of the attack and that he help healthcare workers and hospital staffers in high regard.

The attack comes as healthcare workers continue to be the victim of attacks in the work place.

On Monday, a man attacked three nurses at Chicago’s Advocate Lutheran General Hospital.

Police said the man was recorded attacking multiple people Saturday night. When responding officers arrived, the man began to punch the squad car, forcing officer to deploy a Taser and place him in custody. During the attack, one of the man’s victims had hit him with a hammer. Police took the man to Advocate Lutheran for treatment because of his injuries.

After undergoing surgery for his injuries, the man woke up, broke free from his restraints and attacked the female nurses treating him, leaving one in a fetal position as he punched her repeatedly.

Advocate Lutheran said violence against its employees was never acceptable.

“Violence against our teammates in any form is unacceptable,” the hospital said in a statement. “Healthcare professionals work around the clock to provide quality care to everyone who needs it, including patients under the supervision of law enforcement, and they deserve to do so in a safe environment. Out of respect for privacy, we cannot provide further details and direct all inquiries to local law enforcement.”

The attacker, whom police have not identified, remains under observation at the hospital. Charges in both incidents are pending, police said.

And in November, in Kauai, a nurse was attacked by a patient she was medicating in a hospital emergency room.

The nurse, who was only identified as Sonia, was attacked by a 21-year-old patient at the Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital.

“At first, I didn’t even know what happened,” she told news outlets. “I just screamed, because the pain. I look down and saw his mouth on my forearm. I kept screaming and screaming and I just saw his teeth going deeper and deeper into my tissue.”

Hawaii Health Systems Corporation said in a statement that the incident did occur and that they take incidents like the ones that happened to Sonia very seriously. But Sonia and others said the incident could have been prevented. She and other coworkers had asked to call 911 about the patient prior to the attack.

“I heard him escalating and getting more aggressive and I said something to the doctor that we needed to call KPD and the doctor said no, he wanted to get his blood work back,” Sonia said.

Unions representing nurses in Hawaii said the incident is an indication that more needs to be done.

“One of the things we’ve been saying to the employers all along is we need to do more, we need to increase security, because it’s only a matter of time,” Daniel Ross, Hawaii Nurses’ Association OPEIU Local 50 President, told news outlets.

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