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Surveillance Video Shows Hospital Hero Tackling Armed Suspect in San Jose ER

SAN JOSE (KPIX) -- A surveillance camera captured the moments when a San Jose hospital employee became a hero.

A male suspect, who a police source told KPIX has a history with law enforcement, walked into the non-public emergency room entrance of Good Samaritan Hospital around 9:20 a.m. Thursday. He then allegedly demanded that medical personnel see him, telling them he was a priority and flashing a gun.

Video obtained by KPIX shows the suspect sitting on a gurney. A hospital employee is seen walking past the suspect then quickly grabbing the pistol and throwing it onto the ground. Then the employee turns and wrestles the suspect to the floor. The employee holds him down while appearing to yell for coworkers.

"He walked up, grabbed the gun, threw it, tackled him and then took him to the ground," said San Jose police Lt. Tony Lonac. "He was pretty brave."

A 911 dispatcher is heard reporting the incident in an audio clip obtained from Broadcastify.com: "They're saying that the nurses are detaining the male and that they have a hold of the gun."

A source said that officers first thought they might be dealing with an active shooter.

Meanwhile, the suspect sat down on the gurney. That's when the hospital employee, a military veteran, disarmed him.

KPIX also obtained a picture of the suspect's gun, which turned out to be a pellet gun. However, the pistol was made to look like a Sig Sauer -- a firearm widely used by law enforcement and the military.

The suspect was cited and released. As for the good samaritan, he wants to remain unidentified.

"I think whoever did that is brave, very, very brave to tackle him and to take care of business," said a San Jose resident named Cindy who lives near the hospital.

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