UPMC hospital police on Friday charged a patient after an attack against a doctor and four officers in a mental health pod in downtown Harrisburg.
Officers who work for the hospital’s police department responded to a call for help about 7:49 a.m. Dec. 21 after Yaqub Yousef Nassir became “extremely violent” and tried to attack a doctor who was examining him in the pod inside the emergency department at 111 South Front Street.
When the first two officers arrived, Nassir, 23, had “retreated into his room,” according to an affidavit of probable cause filed against Nassir.
Two officers “began an effort to deescalate the violent actions of the defendant,” but Nassir attacked the officers, according to the affidavit.
Two more officers arrived. “The defendant” violently punched and kicked all four officers about the head, chest and extremities,” requiring all four to get medical attention, the affidavit said.
Since Nassir was a patient, he was not arrested at the time. A UMPC lieutenant submitted the affidavit Friday asking for an arrest warrant.
The magisterial district judge approved eight charges: four felony aggravated assault and four misdemeanor simple assault. He was not listed as in custody as of Friday afternoon.