Willow Springs Man Hits La Grange Hospital Nurse: Police

LA GRANGE, IL – A Willow Springs man is accused of striking a nurse during a struggle last month at the La Grange hospital, police said.

Daniel E. Andersen, 25, was arrested on charges of aggravated battery and criminal property damage.

Patch obtained the La Grange police report through a public records request.

The incident occurred about 2 a.m. March 1.

According to the report, Willow Springs police had arrested Andersen on a charge of simple assault and took him to the La Grange hospital after he banged his head on a squad car window and screamed.

At the hospital, staff told officers that Andersen became agitated. A nurse handed him a phone to call someone, but instead, he smashed the phone on the ground, breaking it, police said.

The nurse showed injuries that he said Andersen gave him, the report said. More nurses and security officers came into the room to restrain Andersen, who tried to spit blood at one point, police said. After a struggle, Andersen was put in restraints, police said.

The report said the nurse told La Grange police that Willow Springs police wanted to leave the hospital. But the nurse told them they could not because Andersen was still in custody.

Then, a Willow Springs officer on hand got a call that Andersen was released from the police department's custody. Patch left a message for comment Tuesday with Willow Springs police.

According to the report, a Willow Springs detective later told La Grange police that his department asked a Cook County prosecutor to have Andersen detained for safety concerns. But he said the agency was denied, so Willow Springs police released Andersen, the report said.

In an interview Tuesday afternoon, Police Chief Garry McCarthy said his department's detective was correct.

"It sounds like the nurse thought we were doing something wrong. We couldn't keep him in custody," said McCarthy, a former Chicago police superintendent.