Man Charged With Holding Patient Hostage At West Florida Hospital, Fighting With Deputies

March 3, 2021

An Alabama man was arrested Tuesday after allegedly holding a patient hostage at West Florida Hospital, fighting staff and deputies and even grabbing a deputy’s gun.

Timothy Rains, 26, of Loxley, Alabama, is charged with multiple counts of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer or EMT, kidnapping false imprisonment, damaging property, resisting arrest with violence, and obstructing police.

The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office was called to a hostage situation in the Behavior Unit at West Florida Hospital about 2:30 p.m.

An arrest report states Rains was initially taken to the hospital as a voluntary patient for a medical condition. He was placed in the Behavior Unit due to lack of bed space in the regular emergency room.

Security staff said Rains became verbally aggressive when asked to put on hospital clothes and provide a urine sample. He then punched a hole in the wall and pulled the door scanner off the wall.

The report states Rains entered another patient’s room, locked the door and then blocked the door — not allowing the patient to leave or hospital staff to get into the room. Hospital staff asked Rains several times to let the patient out of the room, but he refused.

According to the report, hospital staff broke a window in an attempt to get the patient out of the room. Staff tried to use an aluminum crutch to pry the door open, but Rains grabbed the crutch and began swinging it at hospital staff.

The report states Rains eventually allowed the patient to leave the room, but he kept using the crutch as a weapon against hospital staff before they finally pulled it away from him.

Multiple deputies then tried to detain Rains, but he wouldn’t comply, according to the report. Rains grabbed ahold of a deputy’s gun in his holster, but he was stopped from getting the gun as deputies pinned his hand.

A deputy used a taser on Rains, but it proved ineffective. Rains then grabbed another deputy’s taser, pointed it at the deputy’s chest and pulled the trigger multiple times, according to the arrest report.

According to the report, after more struggles, deputies were eventually able to handcuff Rains and arrest him.

Rains’ bond was set at $155,000.

Comments

21 Responses to “Man Charged With Holding Patient Hostage At West Florida Hospital, Fighting With Deputies”

  1. Jennifer on March 7th, 2021 2:04 pm

    PS: we cannot assume anything and posting related to drug use would be a violation of HIPPA law with fines and 5 yrs prison for first offense. His medical history isn’t our business. Just saying.

    Not only above, but many people are unknowingly drugged by others. Please don’t make assumptions. The idea is to fix a process for everyone’s safety. Just my 4cents.

  2. Jennifer on March 7th, 2021 1:56 pm

    So, the point is to use mattress upon gaining entrance to room. It would prevent patient removal of sheriff weapon, and a deputy being tased. If you would like to hire me as a consultant. Jennifer Landress, RN 30 years healthcare experience. 1986-1995 psych counselor, and marketing Director for psych facility. Graduated 1995 class President of nursing class at TSU, prior special procedures and cardiac sedation nurse, pre op and post op heart Cath at sacred heart. Was only psych nurse for 2 home health facilities in Pensacola, supervised by Dr. Conrad. Prior director of prison health services in Nashville. Inherited position after being hired as supervisor. Relocated to Florida in 1995 for Director of referral and development at a psych facility in FWB. Taught outpatient parenting classes to military families.

  3. Stumpknocker on March 5th, 2021 3:06 pm

    @ Tam thank you.

  4. fisherman on March 5th, 2021 1:23 pm

    @henry coe thank you for your honesty.he could well had.

  5. fisherman on March 5th, 2021 1:07 pm

    @DDD oh I see.have you ever had a person under mental. health at that hospital?don’t make out something when its not.

  6. Tam on March 5th, 2021 9:20 am

    Okay people I was actually there. He was just sitting in his room and not acting out until they asked him to change. He demanded to be let out, attacked the exit door, pulled off the scanner and barricaded himself in the other patient’s room. They tried to get him to let the other patient out, but he would not let them out. They were finally able to get him out and under control. I was terrified forge other patient as well as myself. When he grabbed the officer’s gun, the staff evacuated the rest of the patients to a secure area.
    The staff and sheriff’s handled his situation correctly.

  7. Bewildered on March 4th, 2021 12:07 pm

    Voluntary admittance or not! He was obviously spaced out on drugs. All the bleeding hearts should step up and care for these addicts.

  8. Stumpknocker on March 4th, 2021 10:51 am

    @ Henry Coe you are absolutely incorrect, I have been to west Florida er many many times, each mental patient has their own room and if your acting right they don’t even close the door unless the patient wants it closed. Thanks here is 6 rooms inside the er set aside for baker acts, and staff is right there with them . So no one is locked up like in jail. Stop giving your opinion as as matter of fact and painting a picture you want rather than what the truth is.

  9. DDD on March 4th, 2021 10:02 am

    @fisherman, next time he behaves this way, your address will be provided for sanctuary. Enjoy.

  10. Rasheed Jackson on March 4th, 2021 9:43 am

    @ Jennifer, the mattress might would have worked had he not locked himself up in a room.
    @fisherman, Maybe you could volunteer at one of these facilities and be the social worker that handles these types of cases. I am sure there are some online classes that you could take, or you could just google it.
    Many of the people that work at these facilities are trained professionals and put themselves at risk every day. They have no idea what is going through the minds of the people they are dealing with. Many times, these workers are assaulted and injured while doing their work. A job most people would refuse. I am sure they used every tool at their disposal to try and de-escalate this situation but there are times when the perpetrator is just hell bent on causing helter-skelter. They have no fear of the law or of the consequences they may face due to their actions.
    I personally know a lady that worked in a facility for unstable patients. One day while tending a patient, out of no where he jumped up and planted both his fist square in her chest. When she fell back, she tried to catch herself and broke both wrists. She was an older lady, and the injury took more than a year and one surgery before she could return to work.
    I have great respect for the people who work in these types of facilities, because they never know what the next minute might bring.

  11. JKS on March 4th, 2021 8:41 am

    With the erratic and violent behavior, it’s clear why he refused urine sample. And I agree with Terry Lee, it’s only going to get worse in some parts of our country! Giving drug use a pretty much free pass is be of the most asinine idea of them all!

  12. Henry Coe on March 4th, 2021 6:12 am

    I wonder if he had a panic attacked?
    “An arrest report states Rains was initially taken to the hospital as a voluntary patient for a medical condition. He was placed in the Behavior Unit due to lack of bed space in the regular emergency room.”

    So, as a regular patient he was locked up into the Behavior Unit because of a lack of regular bed space and then he was treated like a patient who belonged in the Behavioral Unit without the justification for it and got claustrophobic and panicked on top of whatever was going on with him medically. I think the hospital has some liability here for creating the condition of panic in him by locking him up whether their intent was to lock him up or not initially.

    How would anyone feel if you went to the hospital for something routine and because of a lack of bed space, got locked up into a Behavior Unit that is filled with people who needed to be in that unit? and then started getting treated like a patient who was purposely admitted to the Behavioral Unit? In that scenario anyone might react badly?

  13. bigbill1961 on March 4th, 2021 3:31 am

    @fisherman
    “I think this could of been handled way different.so many people are in a lot of pain ,causing mental issues.i feel bad for him.”

    Just how would you have handled this situation? Quick decisions have to be made to keep a dangerous situation from getting out of hand. You have no idea what you would have done under the same set of circumstances. It’s very easy to look back and be critical. Unless you’ve ever worn a badge, you should refrain from making such statements. This man was a danger to others as well as himself. Lethal force wasn’t used, and the outcome for this situation was good, considering the violent behavior shown by this man.

  14. Stumpknocker on March 4th, 2021 1:44 am

    @fisherman, yes your so right, see this is a perfect example of when a social worker could have just stepped in and made everything better. Lol ok.

  15. fisherman on March 4th, 2021 1:25 am

    I think this could of been handled way different.so many people are in a lot of pain ,causing mental issues.i feel bad for him.

  16. Wow on March 3rd, 2021 10:10 pm

    And of course let’s set bond so he can get out and put worry and concern into more peoples lives

  17. My opinion on March 3rd, 2021 10:09 pm

    @Terry Lee, the drug war has failed, our government should have learned with the failure of the 18th amendment that prohibition of substances doesn’t work and only creates a criminal environment that is conducive to violent crime! Regulation and education are the best options, people are going to use drugs and alcohol regardless of the legal consequences. I have lived in a country where death is the only penalty for drugs, it doesn’t stop people from using drugs, I watched a man literally lose his head over 3 joints, but it didn’t stop anyone from buying or selling Marijuana. Felony charges aren’t the answer either, people can get clean from drugs but they can’t ever escape the felony charge acquired from an illness. Addiction is a sickness!!! Safer access to drugs, better education built on real science and proper treatment is the most humane approach. Drug rehabs today are not out to treat Addiction, they are only for profit, that’s why it fails miserably.

  18. chris on March 3rd, 2021 8:54 pm

    Wow. he really looks cool in the mugshot.
    Nailed it.

  19. Terry Lee on March 3rd, 2021 8:10 pm

    Drugs are destroying mankind,and you got states in this country making hard drugs a slap on the wrist!Be prepared for more of this,and the crumbling of mankind as we once had?

  20. Jennifer Landress on March 3rd, 2021 7:39 pm

    Feel bad for this patient. Maybe they should use mattress technique. Worked in psych prior to cardiology. Facility had glass TVs. Patient threw TV and attempted to cut staff. I was called to assist and had male staff grab a mattress so we could safely subdue patient without injury to anyone. Simple joint locks are great as well. Nobody gets hurt. Just my thoughts. Hope patient, sheriff deputies, and staff are okay.

  21. Mom on March 3rd, 2021 7:01 pm

    Seems like the behavior unit is exactly where he belonged