LAPD

3 Stabbed in Attack Inside Southern Calif. Hospital, Suspect in Custody

The stabbings were reported in a building at Encino Hospital Medical Center in LA's west San Fernando Valley, police say.

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Three people were in critical condition following a stabbing attack Friday at a San Fernando Valley hospital, according to Los Angeles police.

The stabbings were reported in the 16000 block of Ventura Boulevard inside a building at Encino Hospital Medical Center, police said.

All three, identified as a doctor and two nurses, were initially in critical condition and transported to another hospital, a hospital spokesperson and LAFD said. Dignity Health Northridge Hospital Medical Center said the three patients' conditions were stable later Friday evening.

Details about the victims' identities were not immediately available, but a hospital technician told NBCLA he saw a female doctor and two nurses with stab wounds.

The hospital was on lockdown, and surrounding streets were shut down during the SWAT response. After hours of being in a standoff with police, LAPD confirmed the attacker had been taken into custody around 8:30 p.m.

An officer at the scene told reporters the attacker's identity was known to authorities, that he has had several previous run-ins with police and has been arrested twice in the past for assaulting police officers. His most recent arrest occurred last year, police said.

The suspect had walked into the hospital and was attempting to seek treatment, although the reason was unknown, police added.

No further details about a motive were available.

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