Man Arrested After Altercation With Officer In Hospital
Posted
Jackie Gorski-jgorski@timesuniononline.com
A Warsaw man was arrested Monday after an altercation with a hospital officer and trying to grab hold of the officer’s gun and taser in July.
Mario C. Cortes, 19, of 94 E. Levi Lee Road, lot 2, Warsaw, is charged with disarming a law enforcement officer, a Level 5 felony; battery to a public safety official, a Level 5 felony; battery by bodily waste, a Level 6 felony; resisting law enforcement, a Level 6 felony; and resisting law enforcement, a Class A misdemeanor.
He was booked into the Kosciusko County Jail at 8:05 p.m. Monday on a $20,250 preliminary bond.
According to the probable cause affidavit, at approximately 3:40 p.m. July 26, a Warsaw Police Department officer was dispatched to Parkview Hospital in reference to a patient acting out of control. While traveling to the scene, the officer was informed a fight had broken out at the hospital.
Upon arrival to the scene, a hospital officer was in a physical altercation with a patient, identified as Cortes. The hospital officer was on top of Cortes with a hospital staff member holding Cortes’ legs. The Warsaw officer helped the hospital officer by holding Cortes’ legs down to prevent him from getting up.
Additional officers arrived on scene and, after several minutes, they were able to put Cortes in handcuffs. Cortes continued to resist and officers continued to apply pressure to Cortes while hospital staff prepared arm and leg restraints on a patient bed. Cortes was then restrained in the bed and escorted to his room.
During the tightening of the restraints, officers tried speaking with Cortes and Cortes spat in an officer’s face.
The Warsaw officer spoke to the hospital officer of what happened regarding the incident. The hospital officer said he heard yelling coming from Cortes’ room. The hospital officer found Cortes yelling at a woman while he was stripping out of his clothes. Cortes noticed the hospital officer and charged at him, trying to leave the room. The hospital officer tried to take Cortes to the ground, but the hospital officer was pushed into the hallway and against the wall.
The hospital officer was able to take Cortes to the ground in order to take control of him. In the struggle, Cortes pulled out the hospital officer’s taser. The hospital was able to push the taser away. The hospital officer also stated he felt Cortes attempt to pull out his firearm twice, but he was able to keep Cortes from doing so.
The Warsaw officer spoke with a witness who said he was in one of the emergency rooms when he heard the hospital officer in an altercation. The witness said he assisted the hospital officer in restraining Cortes. The witness saw Cortes reach for the hospital officer’s pistol. The witness grabbed Cortes’ arm to prevent him from grabbing the pistol.
Another witness said she saw Cortes stripping off his clothes and yelling at the woman. The woman said Cortes had been making comments of self-harm and wanting to leave the room.
Cortes was on pretrial release pleading guilty to possession of marijuana, a Class A misdemeanor. He is awaiting sentencing on Sept. 21.
