Fort Smith
CRIME & SAFETY
Man arrested for Mercy lockdown pleads not guilty, public defender asks for ‘fitness evaluation’
The man arrested in connection with a lockdown at Mercy Hospital Fort Smith on July 22 has pleaded not guilty, according to court documents.
Fort Smith, AR, Identifies Hospital Intruder
Police in Fort Smith, Arkansas, identify the man who caused a lockdown at an area hospital earlier this week. The man in question has been identified as 34-year-old John West. West was spotted in Mercy Hospital on Monday with what appeared to be a hand gun. The weapon turned out to be a water pistol that had been painted black to look like a real gun. It was found when West was eventually discovered hiding in a box in an educational room in the hospital.
WATCH: Body cam footage from search for suspect at Mercy Fort Smith
FORT SMITH, Ark. — Body camera footage from the Sebastian County Sheriff's Office shows the law enforcement response to the report of a gunman at Mercy Fort Smith. Police say John Keith West was armed with a painted water pistol when he caused an hourslong lockdown at the hospital on Monday.
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