Patient at ER in Willmar stabs, seriously injures hospital employee

An emergency department employee at CentraCare in Willmar is undergoing treatment after being stabbed by a patient Monday morning.

Willmar police were called to the hospital at around 11:33 a.m. Monday for a request for help with a combative patient, the police department said.

When officers arrived, they found that a 31-year-old man who had been in the hospital for a mental health issue had produced a knife and stabbed an employee. The employee was able to get away while the man was subdued by security, EMS and other emergency department staff, police said.

The employee was seriously injured and was undergoing treatment as of the department’s Facebook post on Monday. Their current condition is unknown.

The man was also injured during the assault but was treated and booked into Kandiyohi County Jail pending charges of first- and second-degree assault, police said. He has a history of erratic behavior and was on probation for another second-degree assault case at the time of the stabbing.