Patients and health workers evacuated from Wilmington Health complex following incident

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Patients inside a Wilmington medical complex were rushed out after a man allegedly attacked a delivery driver, then went inside the building.

Susan Kaczynski was in an examining room for a routine dermatology appointment, waiting for the doctor Wednesday afternoon.

“And all of a sudden a nurse came busting in, she (nurse) said you need to get dressed immediately, and you need to evacuate, do not take the elevator,” she said.

Kaczynski said she noticed some construction across the street and thought it might be a gas leak – but when she got outside she was told by a healthcare worker a food delivery driver called her in a panic.

“He said, hey listen, I just got attacked in the parking lot, the guy has a gun, he is now in the building headed toward the elevator with a gun and is very agitated,” said Kaczynski.

According to Lt. Lesley Irving, the police arrived at the Wilmington Health office at the Pointe at Barclay to a man acting erratic inside the building.

“We want to share with the public, the man, he was not armed, we did not locate any weapon on his person, at all”, she said.

The man was taken into custody and transported to Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center for a mental evaluation.

According to Irving, the man was having a psychotic episode and urges anyone who is not trained, to leave these types of situations for professionals to handle.

“That person in crisis could internalize that differently and may not see it as they are trying to help them, because they could be in a psychotic state and they may think you are trying to hurt them instead of trying to help them.”

Kaczynski was relieved the man wasn’t armed.

“Afterwards it was pretty unnerving to know I was so close,” she said. “But It’s nice to hear that he didn’t have a gun.”

According to police, there were no injuries reported at the health complex.