Crime & Safety
Escaped Psychiatric Patient Not Charged by Police
Evergreen Park Police captured a man who walked out of Little Company of Mary Hospital and Health Care Centers' mental care unit. He has returned to the hospital; charges won't be filed.
After a two-hour search and lock-down on local schools and businesses, captured the man who , but did not charge him.
According to reports, police received a call at about 1:16 p.m. that the Chicago resident had walked out of the emergency room exit and was last seen walking eastbound on 94th Street.
Police said the male psychiatric patient escaped barefoot in a hospital gown with a tarpaulin-like cover-up.
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Police were able to immediately notify the community by the recently-launched , powered by Everbridge.
Schools that were in-session were put on lockdown, and police encouraged business owners and workers to take necessary precautions.
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Deputy Chief of Police Wayne Gutkowski said the department set up a perimeter around the area and conducted a yard-to-yard search.
“K9 units conducted a search of the blocks,” he said.
K9 units from Evergreen Park, Oak Lawn, Hickory Hills and Bridgeview assisted in the search, he said, and the Cook County Sheriff, along with a City of Chicago helicopter, helped as well.
According to reports, just when the police were about to conclude their search and talk to residents door-to-door, a resident spotted the man running out of a driveway on the 2700 block of 94th Street, and police apprehended him at about 3:16 p.m.
Police turned the man over to security, who escorted him back to the hospital.
Citing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HPPA), the hospital declined to comment.
