Police: Man who prompted Geneva hospital lockdown arrested, charged

(GENEVA) A man who police say brandished a knife in a west suburban hospital was taken into police custody in northwest Indiana Tuesday night.

Justin B. Patzer, 31, was arrested by the Hammond Police Department about 8:45 p.m. He was charged with felony domestic battery and aggravated assault in connection with an incident at Delnor Hospital in Geneva Tuesday morning, according to a statement from Geneva police.

Police were called to the hospital at 9:35 a.m. on reports that a man was running through the hospital brandishing a knife, Geneva police previously said.

The hospital was immediately put on lockdown, hospital spokesman Chris King said.

During their investigation, Geneva police advised authorities in Hammond that Patzer may have gone to Indiana.

Patzer, of Campton Hills, was visiting a relative at the hospital when he allegedly threatened to choke the relative, pulled out a knife and made threats of violence, police said.

The lockdown was lifted about 11 a.m. after police confirmed he had left the hospital campus. No one was injured, and the hospital was operating normally as of 11:40 a.m., King said.

A “soft lockdown” remained in place at nearby Williamsburg and Heartland elementary schools until 11:30 a.m. as police continued their search.

Patzer will have an extradition hearing in Crown Point, Ind. Wednesday, according to Geneva police.