Vancouver General Hospital staff call police after man high on drugs pulls knife

Nurses at Vancouver General Hospital were forced to call the police Tuesday night due to a frightening situation.

Vancouver police said a man, high on meth and acting paranoid, pulled out a switchblade-style knife inside the hospital and began acting in a way that was dangerous to himself and others.

When officers arrived they were able to keep the man isolated from staff and other patients while crisis negotiators spoke with him through a locked door in the psychiatric ward, police said.

They were able to convince him to surrender by sliding the knife under the door and he was then taken into custody.

2:43 Interior Health responds to growing safety concerns

Police said in a statement, the man, 38, has a long history of mental health challenges.

They are not considering charges at this time “as this incident appears to be rooted in drug or mental health psychosis,” police confirmed.

In late October, the B.C. government announced a new security model across all health authorities.

It includes hiring about 320 in-house protection services officers and 14 violence prevention leads, as well as expanded funding to SWITCH BC, a new organization focused on addressing workplace safety.