A man allegedly kidnapped a patient from the emergency room at Lehigh Acres, Fla.-based Lehigh Regional Medical Center April 28, according to Wink News.
Police said Joshua Tribble, 29, entered the ER, approached a male patient waiting for treatment and forcibly grabbed him, demanding the patient leave the hospital.
The pair then left the ER. In the parking lot, Mr. Tribble reportedly punched the patient several times, and the two drove off in a red Chevrolet.
After the altercation, it was revealed Mr. Tribble and the patient were roommates and a money dispute led to the kidnapping at the Lehigh hospital. The patient owed Mr. Tribble money and called in sick to work to go to the hospital. Mr. Tribble was upset his roommate went to the hospital for a medical ailment instead of going to work.
Mr. Tribble drove his roommate back to their residence, where he demanded a check from him. He then took the check and forced his roommate back into his vehicle.
Patrol deputies were able to locate the two men, and Mr. Tribble was taken into custody.
Mr. Tribble now faces kidnapping, robbery and battery charges.
"As we've come to understand, it was a disagreement between roommates … But I am very proud of how hospital personnel handled the altercation. The hospital followed all of its procedures and put the hospital on lockdown to make sure no possible harm could come to patients in the hospital while the two settled their differences outside," Lehigh Regional Medical Center CEO Gary Bell told Becker's Hospital Review.
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