Police search for suspect in stabbing at LA hospital

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Police were searching Tuesday for a man suspected of stabbing an employee at a Los Angeles hospital, prompting a lockdown of the facility Monday evening.

The employee, a 49-year-old man, was suffering from multiple stab wounds and was in critical but stable condition Tuesday morning, police said.

Officers responded shortly after 6:30 p.m. following reports of an assault by a man with a knife at Mission Community Hospital in the Panorama City neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley, said Officer Annie Hernandez with the LA police department.

“The victim was inside the lobby area when he was approached by the suspect,” police said in a news release. “The suspect stabbed the victim and fled the location on foot.”

Craig Garner, a Mission Community spokesperson, later identified the victim as a hospital employee to the Los Angeles Times.

Hospital officials did not know whether the assailant and employee knew each other, or whether the attack was random, Garner said.

The hospital was briefly locked down as police conducted a search.

Police said the suspect ran from the scene. He was described as wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, a black hat and carrying a black backpack, Hernandez said.