Hospital Guards Stun Guns Man With Baby In His Arms

[pedinurse]

here's the thing. i kind of associate it with me traveling in airports.

Last winter, when my family and I were in the Memphis airport, my five year old daughter left her backpack (a blue, flowery one, with her games and books in it), in the middle of the round rotundra to run to Elvis's picture and guitar to go look at it and to get her picture taken... it seriously looked abandoned. No one was around it, until I came over with the stroller and scooped it up.

I ran over and I loudly told her (and it echoed) "Ally, you CANNOT leave this here, SOMEONE WILL THINK THIS IS A BOMB!" My husband started wigging out, saying... "Pedinurse, you cannot say the word "bomb" in an airport and think that the TSA is not going to notice! Shut the heck up!" He was seriously upset with me... and I was just talking to my daughter, and said the word bomb. They had just raised the threat level that AM, and they were broadcasting it throughout the airport. And I seriously believe that the TSA could have looked at my family... a grandma, mother, father, 15 year old, 5 year old, and 5 month old infant as a threat. They could look at EVERYONE as a threat. Have you been in airports lately? You have to be careful!!!!! so... in association... if you are holding a newborn baby in your arms... you had better know that every nurse, doctor, and security guard in that hospital will take notice to everything you say that sounds threatening and take action upon it! just like if you are in an airport in and mention the word bomb.


But this guy was an outward, overt threat to everyone around him... including that baby. This guy was pacing, saying the words "hostage situation" and was manhandling a newborn baby. Yes, most hospitals, if you want to leave AMA, ask that you sign some forms saying that you know you're leaving AMA and that you're accepting the consequences of that. Apparently, mom or baby was not ready for discharge.

Length of stay can vary. Yes, for a healthy mom and baby, and for a natural delivery, most moms are discharged within 24 and 48 hours. Most states require now that insurances pay for stays certified up to 48 hours for natural deliveries, and I believe 72 for c-sections. Sometimes, if baby is sick, mom "rooms in" (or stays) so they can both go home at the same time, depending on how the facility is set up... but this is usually only if babies room in with moms. That's called couplet care, and is usually in places were there is no separate nursery to take care of the babies. The babies are cared alongside the moms.

If you have complications (high BP, infection, ANYTHING) you might have to stay longer than the normal 48 or 72 if you are a mom. Actually, post partum moms do have some risks, and there is a lot of teaching that has to be completed as well after delivery. So new moms are staying usually for the full 48 unless the mom and doctor both agree to an earlier discharge. Babies who might show signs of infection might have to stay for days... and jaundice babies may have to stay until bilirubin levels come down. My daughter was in the hospital for 5 days after she was born (and because I "roomed in", so was I) because she was so severely jaundiced.... and then we went home with biliblankets and with follow up appointments and lab work. So the length of stay isn't set in stone.

The father in this case could have thrown that infant at any second, killed the infant, attacked the new mother, or an officer or police employee. He was really acting out of control. He was making verbal threats. I can see why they took the action they did when they did. I do not know that they should have tased him, but it was probably the SAFEST way to take down the man without putting the officers at harm. If they had taken him down physically, that would have meant contact with the officers, and that would have meant dropping the baby also (and possibly more harm to the man and to the baby). The situation was escalating (rather than de-escalating) and that was putting the infant, mother, staff, and officers at risk.

I do not have a law enforcement / de-escalation background. If someone knows of other actions they could have taken, could they post them? Here's what I have...

Let them leave with the infant / mother (very risky in my opinion... could have resulted in injury to mother and infant to who knows what extent).

Physical contact between officers and the man while holding infant - could have resulted in injury with officers, the man (more extensive) and could have resulted in more scuffling which could have injured infant more. Would have still resulted in a drop.

Tased... we know what happened.

Continued talking... which wasn't working, he was continuing to escalate, threatening a hostage situation. They had to take action.

I don't know what the right answer is. I don't LIKE the thought of someone using a tazer on someone holding a baby. Yeah, it's not rocket science that the baby will get dropped. My opinion... the dad shouldn't have been acting out in the first place. He should have been acting peacefully and just left. He didn't even have to sign the AMA papers. Honestly... people refuse to sign those papers all the time and it is just documented. What got him tazed was his erratic behavior and verbal threatening to turn it into a hostage situation. This situation is horrible!

 

[dark_shadows]

I will agree that many would be screaming ... However .. I am wondering if his words were taken out of context.
Like he was meaning that the HOSPITAL was creating a hostage situation ... not that he would!

And not signing would not ruin ones credit... NOT paying would

My dear sweet Amraann,:blowkiss:
I hope that the hospital had consulted a lawyer prior to issuing armbands detering an elevator from opening based on info imbedded in the armbands of the infants.
If the info on that armband is not true in realtime, the hospital security could see an exit as unwarranted and against hospital policy. Nothing unlawful in many cases.If a person left without paying a bill, it would go into collections after attempts were made to resolve the bill.
Unless it was recorded in hospital records that the father was a threat and it was documented by police reports and a TOS, then the hospital security had a right to act and restrain. (I did not see any documentation stating that he could not leave with his wife and child, he left with his wife)
Anything other than that would be unlawful restraint on the part of the hospital. The doors elevator doors were not allowed to open and security would have detained them on a stairway)

All of my Love and Respect to you,
dark_shadows

 

[pedinurse]

My dear sweet Amraann,:blowkiss:
I hope that the hospital had consulted a lawyer prior to issuing armbands detering an elevator from opening based on info imbedded in the armbands of the infants.
If the info on that armband is not true in realtime, the hospital security could see an exit as unwarranted and against hospital policy. Nothing unlawful in many cases. If a person left without paying a bill, it would go into collections after attempts were made to resolve the bill.
Unless it was recorded in hospital records that the father was a threat and it was documented by police reports and a TOS, then the hospital security had a right to act and restrain. (I did not see any documentation stating that he could not leave with his wife and child, he left with his wife).
Anything other than that would be unlawful restaint on the part of the hospital. The doors elevator doors were not allowed to open and security would have detained them on a stairway)

All of my Love and Respect to you,
dark_shadows

That is supposed to be used to thwart an infant abduction. Not to keep someone in against their will!

 

[cenasangel]

I was in the exact same situation as this guy and i think he was right and i applaude him for making a stand

Many years ago when i gave birth to the lovely Victoria..... i was physicaly assaulted by a midwife (i was only 17 at the time). It was late at night and i had her with me in a ward of four other ladies. I knew the rules that feeding in the room was not allowed at night but i did not think i was hurting anyone or doing any harm. I opened my nighty and started feeding Victoria and was almost finished when godzilla in a nurses uniform came storming into the room and threw back the curtains and ripped victoria off my breast and threw her in the bassinette and told me that i could finish feeding her in the nursery and to meet her there in 10 minutes. I was shocked and stunned by what had just happened and was bawling as i put on my dressing gown and went there. I finished feeding her and asked to speak to the matron or someone in charge but was refused. I informed them that due to the assult i no longer felt safe at the hospital and wanted to be transfered to another hospitl. They told me we could talk about it in the morning. I went back to my room and woke up the next morning and started packing my stuff and hers. I sat on the bed and waited to be seen too. The staff were very surprised that the whole thing had not blown over and i was still demanding to speak to the matron or someone in charge and still demanding a transfer.

My other half came later that morning and i told him what was going on and he was very upset and supported me in my decision to leave. The nursing staff were very reluctant to let me go (more out of protection of the assulter than anything) and kept chaning their stories. There were no beds availible at near by hospitals, Victoria looked the wrong colour, they needed to get the all clear from the peadiatrician and the list went on and on. Finally another mother apologised for overhearing and said that i should just leave. She saw the whole incident and would support me in a statement if i needed one. By midday i got jack of waiting and said that if my transfer had not been arranged in half an hour i was goling to just leave. All of a sudden the room filled up with nurses ect and they fed me some that Victoria had jaundice and they had to do tests on her. I wondered why the whole 4 days she was there they never picked it up before but i went along with it and offered to gol with victoria to take the blood tests they wanted. The nurse took her basinette and pushed me in my chest away from her and said "no not you" i snatched the basinette back and she snatched it back off me and told me to go to the cafeteria to get something to eat and drink as she then pushed me in my chest again. By this time the mother who offered to support me said "you cant do that to her she's only a kid" and was telling them to leave me alone. So i waited for half and hour and i fully expected to have every social worker from the 4 corners of the earth in my room but they brought her back and said she was fine and i was free to go. I was very confused that they just dropped it like that. They wanted me to sign discharge papers but i screwed them up and told them where to go shoved them. I was asked if i still intended to lodge a complaint and i said i was and i was going to press charges. They told me noone was going to belive me and i was just wasting my time. I was stupid enough to belive them and never did. Today Victoria is a fit atheletic 15 year olld with n o signs of the myserterious jaundice she never had

go figure

 

[Amraann]

My dear sweet Amraann,:blowkiss:
I hope that the hospital had consulted a lawyer prior to issuing armbands detering an elevator from opening based on info imbedded in the armbands of the infants.
If the info on that armband is not true in realtime, the hospital security could see an exit as unwarranted and against hospital policy. Nothing unlawful in many cases.If a person left without paying a bill, it would go into collections after attempts were made to resolve the bill.
Unless it was recorded in hospital records that the father was a threat and it was documented by police reports and a TOS, then the hospital security had a right to act and restrain. (I did not see any documentation stating that he could not leave with his wife and child, he left with his wife)
Anything other than that would be unlawful restaint on the part of the hospital. The doors elevator doors were not allowed to open and security would have detained them on a stairway)

All of my Love and Respect to you,
dark_shadows

Hello my dear!!
I believe the armband issue was in order to avoid a baby being stolen by a stranger. I do not think it was intended to stop a legal custodial parent.
There was no RO and even if hospital records stated he was a threat??
Without legal backing like DCF acquiring custody (IMO this would have been done prior to birth) the hospital had no right to stop them.

His domestic issues with his wife without it involving previous children??
I seriously doubt DCF would have much standing in court without previous child abuse or proof of drug use while the wife was pregnant.

I think you and I agree on this

I am just more concerned that the hospital and other people feel it is OK without legal documentation to prevent a parent from taking their child.
I have had both good and bad medical care and can easily see why someone would leave due to lacking medical care.

 

[dark_shadows]

Hello my dear!!
I believe the armband issue was in order to avoid a baby being stolen by a stranger. I do not think it was intended to stop a legal custodial parent.
There was no RO and even if hospital records stated he was a threat??
Without legal backing like DCF acquiring custody (IMO this would have been done prior to birth) the hospital had no right to stop them.

His domestic issues with his wife without it involving previous children??
I seriously doubt DCF would have much standing in court without previous child abuse or proof of drug use while the wife was pregnant.

I think you and I agree on this

I am just more concerned that the hospital and other people feel it is OK without legal documentation to prevent a parent from taking their child.
I have had both good and bad medical care and can easily see why someone would leave due to lacking medical care.

To my very dear Amraann,:blowkiss:
I appreciate your post, thank-you so much.
All of my Love and Respect to you,
dark_shadows

 

[Amraann]

To my very dear Amraann,:blowkiss:
I appreciate your post, thank-you so much.
All of my Love and Respect to you,
dark_shadows

Your welcome

 

[Opie]

cenasangel--
What happened to you was just awful. They were just taking advantage of a young person. How fortunate that you and your daughter escaped without further damage.
As the old saying goes, what goes around, comes around. They will get what is coming to them, if they have not already done so. Disgusting behavior on their part.

 

[cenasangel]

I never went there again and woluld not even grace that hospitals threshhold for an in-grown toe nail. Ive never had hassles at any other hospital again