SEBASTIAN — Indian River County sheriff’s deputies held a man at gunpoint inside a hospital emergency room after he refused to leave following his discharge, later discovering a loaded handgun, ammunition and methamphetamine paraphernalia on him, authorities said.
The incident unfolded early Sunday at Orlando Health Sebastian River Hospital, where deputies responded to a disturbance call from hospital security, according to an arrest affidavit.
One deputy reported spotting the handle of a gun protruding from the man’s right front pocket as he stood near a hospital bed. The deputy drew his weapon, took partial cover behind a doorjamb, and ordered the man to the ground, the affidavit said. At least two deputies and a Sebastian police officer assisted in the arrest.
The man, identified as Phillip Heyward Harrison, 38, of Orlando, immediately dropped to the ground, crying and pleading not to be shot, the report stated. He surrendered and was handcuffed to a hospital bed.
A search revealed a 9mm handgun loaded with 11 hollow-point rounds, a second magazine with 10 rounds, and a pocket knife in his pants pockets, deputies said.
Hospital security had summoned law enforcement after Harrison, a former patient, refused to leave post-discharge and began beating on a wall. Security officers told deputies he made statements, including, “I’m not afraid to go out in style.”
After Harrison was handcuffed and stood up, deputies found a pipe-like device, described as a water bong, on the ground. It tested positive for methamphetamine, the affidavit said.
The sheriff’s office spokesperson said weapons are prohibited at the hospital, with signs posted at all public entrances.
Harrison was charged with possession of a weapon or ammunition by a felon, possession of drug paraphernalia, and trespass. He remained in the Indian River County Jail on $160,000 bail as of Thursday.
