Security takes down man who brandished dummy grenade at St. Paul’s Hospital

Two security guards at a Saskatoon hospital went above and beyond the call of duty to protect staff and patients.

On Monday, shortly after midnight, security witnessed a man creating a disturbance outside the main doors of the emergency department at St. Paul’s Hospital.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) says one of its officers went outside to investigate. The guard approached the man to ask if he required assistance and after a short conversation, the man produced a device that appeared to be a grenade.

At the time, the man was approaching the front doors. He was immediately taken to the ground by two officers who were able to disarm him until police arrived.

Police determined the device was a dummy grenade.

The two guards were hurt during the incident and are receiving treatment.

“Upon initial review of the incident, our protective services officers followed all proper protocols as outlined in their training, and acted accordingly,” the SHA said in a statement.

“We are so grateful for their actions and know they go above and beyond in their work to keep our patients, their families and our staff members safe each and every day.”

The SHA said it will hold a Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) debrief for any officers and staff members who were involved and all SHA employees have access to mental health supports.

Police believe the man was experiencing mental health issues and he was transported to Royal University Hospital for assessment.