A second employee at Atascadero State Hospital received injuries this week after being attacked by a patient Thursday morning, ASH spokesman Craig Dacus confirmed.
The incident occurred around 9:30 a.m., when a patient assaulted a hospital psychiatrist, Dacus said.
The attack could lead to charges of felony assault with a deadly weapon.
The incident was the second attack this week at the hospital. Another occurred Tuesday when a patient assaulted another employee. Few details were disclosed on either incident.
Safety and security staff responded to Thursday’s attack to “contain the situation,” Dacus said. The employee, whose name was not given, was seen in the hospital’s medical area and left work following the incident, he added.
Details on what the employee’s injuries were or where in the hospital the assault took place were not released.
No arrest was made, but hospital police plan to request that the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney file a felony charge. Dacus declined to outline further details. The investigation is ongoing.
ASH is a high-security state hospital located in southeast Atascadero that treats mentally ill inmates from the state correctional system, as well as other violent offenders.
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