A 19-year-old patient at Lakewood, Wash.-based Western State Hospital allegedly stomped on a staff member's head about eight times and threatened to kill her Aug. 26, according to The News Tribune.
The patient allegedly attacked the employee from behind and continued to hit and stomp her head once she was on the ground. Before attacking the staff member, the patient wanted to change the TV channel another patient was watching and the staff member told him no.
A witness shoved the patient off the staff member, but ran away to protect himself after the 260-pound patient came after him. Another witness told police they asked the patient what happened, and he said, "She was harassing me, and I just lost it," according to The News Tribune.
Law enforcement officers said the staff member's facial and head injuries were "significant," but not life-threatening.
Police charged the patient with first- and third-degree assault Aug. 28 in Pierce County Superior Court. He will be held in Pierce County Jail until a Sept. 4 competency hearing .
The patient was civilly committed to the state-run psychiatric hospital after allegedly assaulting a law enforcement officer in 2017. The patient was deemed incompetent to stand trial February 28 and criminal charges were dismissed.
Editor's note: Becker's Hospital Review reached out to Western State Hospital for comment and will update the article as more information becomes available.