VICTORIA -- One person has been arrested after a woman was beaten with a stick during an attempted carjacking at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital on Wednesday.
Nanaimo RCMP say the incident took place around 7:30 p.m. in the hospital’s parking lot. The victim, a woman in her 60s, told police that she had just entered her car when someone approached it.
The suspect, an 18-year-old woman, then allegedly struck the victim repeatedly with a two-foot-long wooden stick while yelling at the driver to exit her car.
“The victim refused and attempted to block many of the strikes,” said Mounties in a release Thursday.
Eventually, the woman was pulled from her car and the suspect climbed into the front seat. However, the teen was unable to start the vehicle because she did not have the necessary key fob.
“Security and other employees soon arrived and the female was taken into custody and turned over to police,” said RCMP.
The victim was treated for serious but non-life threatening injuries at the hospital.
Mounties say that suspect was brought to the hospital earlier that day by family members who were concerned about her “erratic behaviour.”
However, before she was admitted to the hospital, she ran from the building, during which time the attempted car theft took place.
The woman was arrested for assault causing bodily harm and has since been admitted to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.
Police say the investigation is ongoing.
