By Debra O’Connor
Pioneer Press
MAPLEWOOD, Minn. — The patient who attacked several nurses at a Maplewood hospital early Sunday morning and later died after being detained by officers had been suffering from recent episodes of confusion and delusion, authorities said Monday.
At 1:56 a.m. Sunday, Charles Emmett Logan, 68, of St. Paul attacked four nurses with a metal bar at St. John’s Hospital in Maplewood, where he was a patient.
After attacking the nurses, Logan ran from the hospital with the bar, which attached equipment to a hospital bed.
Law enforcement officers caught up with Logan three blocks away but he refused to drop the metal bar when ordered to do so.
Logan was shot with a stun gun by Ramsey County sheriff’s deputies and, when it failed to stop him, was tackled to the ground and placed in handcuffs.
He soon went limp and was rushed back to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
One of the injured nurses suffered a collapsed lung, one a broken wrist and two had cuts and bruises.
They were identified as Leslie A. Lichey, 40, of Wyoming; Brooke C. Scott, 22, of Brooklyn Park; Nicole P. Eenisse, 32, of Lino Lakes; and Kelly A. Roberto, 30, of Hudson, Wis.
Maplewood police said it remains unclear what triggered the attack.
“Those familiar with Mr. Logan described a very recent change in which he became confused and periodically delusional,” according to a department news release. “Nothing in Mr. Logan’s past or more recent history indicates a tendency toward violence.”
The cause and manner of his death have not been determined.
“It is fortunate that hospital personnel were not more seriously injured in the unprovoked attack,” said Maplewood Police Chief Paul Schnell. “While what prompted the attack may never be known, we await completion of the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s inquiry, which we hope might answer questions about Mr. Logan’s status for the sake of his family and all those involved in this incident.”
The Ramsey County sheriff’s deputies involved in the incident were identified as Richard Werdien II and Mark Suchy. Werdien has been with the sheriff’s office for under a year, while Suchy is a 16-year veteran.
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