University of Chicago Medical Center beefs up security after fight leaves 3 hospital employees injured
The University of Chicago Medical Center located at 5841 S. Maryland, in the Hyde Park neighborhood.
Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times file
The University of Chicago Medical Center is adding more security measures after a fight broke out in the emergency room Sunday night, leaving three employees injured.
About 8:20 p.m., a group of 15 to 20 people entered the emergency room at the hospital, 5841 S. Maryland Ave., following a shooting just a block away in Washington Park. The group moved into patient treatment areas and a fight broke out, prompting a lockdown, according to Ashley Heher, a spokeswoman at the hospital.
A person who was with the group also reported being injured, Heher said.
Security at the hospital removed the group from the treatment area less than two minutes after the brawl started and no weapons were found inside the hospital or on the group members, Heher said.
Hospital management said it has spoken with frontline staff and is reviewing its security measures.
“We are also reviewing other security measures we can implement moving forward that will work in tandem with our new weapons detection system, which was installed last week,” Heher said.