A man carrying a bayonet and a pistol triggered a lockdown at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth Saturday morning, according to police and two staff members who were there.
The hospital issued a “Code Silver,” a signal alerting staff that an active shooter or a person with a weapon was in the facility and they should take action to protect themselves. The man, Mark Brown, 54, of Centerville, was subdued and arrested.
Terrified employees were told to shelter in place, although they didn’t know exactly what was happening, according to the two staffers. The Code Silver remained in effect for several minutes, they said.
Late Tuesday afternoon, a spokeswoman issued a statement, but did not provide details or explain why the hospital hadn’t contacted shaken employees after the arrest.
“Over the weekend, our public safety team proactively engaged with the Plymouth Police Department to deescalate a situation with a disruptive visitor,” wrote BID-Plymouth spokeswoman Sarah Finlaw in an emailed statement.
“We are thankful for the swift response of our public safety and clinical teams and their cooperation with local law enforcement to resolve this incident safely. No staff member was physically harmed during this incident.”
Brown, according to police, did not use the gun or a bayonet that police found on him, but he allegedly punched and kicked a retired Plymouth Police Sergeant who was working hospital security at the time.
For several days, Brown had been complaining about the care given his mother, who was a patient at BID-Plymouth, police reported. He had caused several disturbances, according to police, and had multiple run-ins with security guards.
On Saturday morning retired Plymouth Police Sergeant Christopher Butler told Brown he would no longer be welcome at the hospital and that a “no-trespass” order would be issued against him.
Even though his mother was going to be discharged that day, Brown became “aggressive, unruly and argumentative,” and began to shove and punch Butler, according to the police report.
As Butler and three hospital security guards tackled Brown to the ground, he kicked them repeatedly with his combat boots, the police report said.
It was only then that police noticed a .38 caliber pistol and a loaded magazine in his waistband. They also found a M-16 style military bayonet, police said. The type of bayonet can be used to convert a rifle into a knife or multi-purpose tool.
Police later found additional ammunition, according to the police report.
Hospital staffers and the Plymouth police praised Butler and the security guards for helping to avert a potential disaster.
“I commend Sergeant Butler for his quick action in preventing something that could have become very dangerous,” said Plymouth Police spokesman, Captain Marc Higgins.
Some employees complained to the Plymouth Independent that the hospital doesn’t have sufficient security personnel to keep everyone safe. A Hospital spokeswoman didn’t respond to a question about security.
Brown pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Plymouth District Court to assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (his foot), disturbing the peace, and assault and battery on a police officer.
He was not charged with firearms offenses because he has a gun permit issued by Barnstable police.
Plymouth District Court Judge Scott Peterson released Brown on his personal recognizance but ordered him to surrender his firearms, undergo a psychiatric evaluation and stay away from the hospital.
Also appearing in court Tuesday was Eric Min, the doctor who treated Brown’s mother. He asked the judge to extend a restraining order he had gotten against Brown Saturday on an emergency basis.
Min said during the Code Silver lockdown, he learned that Brown “demanded my presence and he was refusing to leave.”
Later, when he learned that Brown was carrying dangerous weapons, he said, “that was very disturbing news to me.
“Because I knew about all the previous aggression and threatening comments against me, (I was) assuming the worst — maybe that my life or my wellbeing were under severe threat I took a leave from work for the day,” he told the judge.
Once Brown was in custody and not an immediate threat, the doctor said, he sought a court order.
But on Tuesday Judge Peterson declined Min’s request to extend the harassment order, saying he wasn’t legally allowed to because Brown had allegedly threatened Min just once.
Instead, he ordered as a condition of Brown’s release that he have no contact with the doctor.
Andrea Estes can be reached at andrea@plymouthindependent.org.